FMPA Weekly | August 8, 2016 | Member Edition

FMPA Weekly

 

A weekly e-newsletter for FMPA members

 

Aug. 8, 2016

 

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LAST WEEK

 

ARP Cost Center Briefings

Videotaped briefings on the All-Requirements Project (ARP) cost centers for fiscal 2017 were posted last Tuesday to the Portal. For those who were unable to attend the Cost Center Team meetings, or those who want a refresher on each cost center, the videos are now available on demand. The Excel spreadsheet being discussed in the videos are also available on the Portal in the Cost Center Team agenda package. Contact: Mark Larson

 

Market Research Task Force

The Market Research Task Force for FMPA’s joint-action solar PV project held its first meeting last Thursday. The primary purpose of the conference call was to review a proposed request for proposal (RFP) for market research services. Sharon Smeenk plans to email a revised RFP to Task Force members on Monday, and comments are due on Wednesday. The RFP is scheduled to be issued this Friday.

 

Mid-Year ARP Load Forecast Review

Staff from the System Planning Department are working on a mid-year review of FMPA’s 2016 Load Forecast for the All-Requirements Project (ARP). The review will help staff understand how actual loads may be varying from the forecast and then evaluate the variances. Ann Beckwith will be requesting updated load data from ARP participants for the period of January through July. Because of the hot summer experienced so far this year, staff are interested to evaluate the weather impact on summer loads and average customer usage. A report will be prepared this fall for the Executive Committee. Contact: Michele Jackson

 

Retirement Party

FMPA members and staff are invited to dinner on Wednesday, Aug. 24 to celebrate the retirement of General Manager and CEO Nick Guarriello. Sue Utley sent an email reminder last Thursday to RSVP. If you plan to attend and have not responded, please do so by this Friday so that everyone who wants to attend can be accommodated.

 

Transmission and Distribution RFP

Six firms have been selected to provide transmission and distribution maintenance and construction services for FMPA members, as the result of a request for proposals issues last May. Each selected firm has been sent a service agreement. Once those agreements are retued, the services will be available to FMPA members. Contact: Sharon Smeenk

 

Funding for Intes

APPA’s Demonstration of Energy & Efficiency Development (DEED) program has funding to put students to work for member utilities. Applications must be completed during the fall scholarship cycle, which began last week and runs through Oct. 15. For more information, read the student assistance portion of the DEED funding site. FMPA pays DEED dues on behalf of FMPA members who are also APPA members. For assistance with your application contact, Sharon Smeenk.

 

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THIS WEEK

 

ARP Telephonic Rate Workshop

The ARP Executive Committee will meet Tuesday at 2 p.m. via conference call for the monthly All-Requirements Project Rate Workshop. The agenda includes: 1) natural gas markets update, 2) liquidity update, 3) an overview of July operations, loads, costs and rate calculations, and 4) estimated rate ranges for August and September. Contact: Jim Arntz

 

Member City Visit

Tom Richards, Mark McCain and Sharon Smeenk travel to Bushnell on Tuesday for a member city visit.

 

Substation Training

The deadline to register for FMPA’s next series of substation training classes is Friday. The classes are scheduled for Aug. 30 and 31 on the topic of substation maintenance and will be held at Orlando Utilities Commission’s engineering building in Orlando. The cost is $900 per two-day session. Contact: Sharon Smeenk

 

All-Requirements Project Weekly Load Statistics

The weekly update of the All-Requirements Project historical load graph has been posted on the Portal. The graph is updated through Aug. 7. Contact: Jim Arntz

 

Special Dates

Congratulations to Sharon Adams, who celebrates 15 years with FMPA on Saturday, Aug. 13.

Congratulations to Rattanak Srun, who celebrates three years with FMPA on Saturday, Aug. 13.

 

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COMING UP

 

August Meetings

The August meetings for FMPA’s Board of Directors and the ARP Executive Committee will be held Aug. 25 in the Board room at FMPA’s Orlando office. The Board of Directors meeting is scheduled for 9 a.m. The Executive Search Committee will hold a brief meeting at 9:30 a.m., followed by the Executive Committee meeting at 9:45 a.m. Contact: Nick Guarriello  

 

Communicators Roundtable

FMPA’s Public Relations Department and the Florida Municipal Electric Association will host a Communicators Roundtable on Wednesday, Sept. 21 at 10 a.m. at FMPA’s Orlando office. The roundtable provides a forum for utility communicators to discuss topics common to communications and marketing departments at public power utilities. The roundtable is free, and lunch will be provided. Registration is available on FMPA’s website. Participants are encouraged to suggest discussion topics. Contact: Sharon Smeenk

 

Meter Tech Roundtable

FMPA will hold a Meter Tech Roundtable on Thursday, Sept. 29 at Kissimmee Utility Authority. The roundtable provides a forum for meter technicians and maintenance staff to discuss topics such as operating procedures, equipment, safety, training and more. Registration information will be available soon. Contact: Sharon Smeenk   Lineman Roundtable FMPA’s Lineman’s Roundtable will be held Thursday, Oct. 6 at Bushnell City Hall. The roundtable is open to all levels of line crew personnel as well as any utility staff member. It provides a forum for line crews to exchange ideas on operating practices, safety, training, tools, equipment and more. Registration is available on FMPA’s website. Contact: Sharon Samuels

 

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INDUSTRY NEWS

 

NextEra to Buy Energy Future’s Oncor in $18.4 Billion Deal

NextEra Energy, the parent company of Florida Power & Light, outbid rivals for Energy Future Holdings Corp.’s controlling stake in the largest regulated electric utility in Texas, Oncor, in a deal valued at $18.4 billion. NextEra said it will fund the transaction with $9.5 billion in cash and sell additional shares of stock. The sale is subject to approval by Texas utility regulators and the bankruptcy court because Energy Futures is in Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The purchase is expected to be complete in the first quarter of 2017. NextEra currently owns unregulated renewable-energy projects across the United States. The company has been making moves to expand in the regulated utility industry. In late-2014, it proposed to buy Hawaiian Electric, but that deal fell through three weeks ago when state utility regulatory did not approve the deal. Other bidders for Oncor reportedly included Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway and Edison Inteational, among others.

 

States Ask EPA to Extend Comment Period for Rule Related to Clean Power Plan

A group of state officials, including Florida, last week asked the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to extend the comment period for a proposed rule related to the agency’s Clean Power Plan (CPP), a regulation proposed to reduce carbon emission from power plants. A letter signed by 27 state attoeys general asks for a delay in proceedings regarding the Clean Energy Incentive Program (CEIP). EPA made changes and clarifications to CEIP in June. CEIP is designed to encourage early investment in zero-emitting renewable energy generation and remove barriers to investments in low-income communities, EPA said. The states say an extension of the comment period is required by the U.S. Supreme Court’s order that stayed implementation of CPP pending further judicial review. The states are asking for an extension of 60 days beyond when the stay is lifted. As part of the judicial review of CPP, oral arguments are scheduled to be held in late September.

 

California Releases Nation’s First Compliance Plan for the Clean Power Plan

Califoia became the first state in the nation to release its plan for complying with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Clean Power Plan (CPP), which aims to reduce carbon emissions from power plants. The draft plan was posted last week on the Califoia Air Resources Board’s website. State officials say they hope the plan will be a model for other states. The Califoia plan will rely on the state’s existing “cap-and-trade program for CO2, potentially amending it to better comply with CPP. Califoia proposes to use a mass-based approach for reducing CO2 emissions, rather than the other alteative of rate-based standard.

 

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FMPA Weekly is published by FMPA for employees and goveing boards of FMPA member utilities. Questions or comments about this newsletter may be directed to Jeff Grainger in FMPA’s Public Relations Department.

 

Want more background on the names and terms used in this newsletter? Check out FMPA’s Glossary, which features some of the most frequently mentioned committees, companies, places and terms, or contact the person named in each FMPA story to lea more. (Click here for the Staff Directory.)

 

Have a question, comment or story idea for the newsletter? FMPA welcomes your feedback at any time. Contact: Jeff Grainger.

 

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