FMPA Weekly
A weekly e-newsletter for FMPA members
March 20, 2017
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LAST WEEK
Cane Island Unit 4
Cane Island Unit 4 came back online March 10 after a planned maintenance outage. Contact: David Schumann
Starke Board Representatives
The Starke City Commission appointed its new City Manager, Robert Milner, as the city’s representative on FMPA’s Board of Directors and ARP Executive Committee. City Clerk Ricky Thompson will serve as alternate. Contact: Jacob Williams
Audit and Risk Oversight Committee
The Audit and Risk Oversight Committee met last Thursday and approved: 1) revisions to the asset management and operations risk policy, 2) piggyback provision guidelines for FMPA’s Procurement Policy, 3) fuel portfolio management risk policy, and 4) St. Lucie Project swap diversification exception. The full agenda package is available on the Portal. Contact: Rich Popp
Board of Directors
FMPA’s Board of Directors met last Thursday and heard information items on: 1) summary of strategic plan items, priorities and resource realignments, 2) update on vision, mission and values, 3) St. Lucie Project swap diversification exception, 4) status of items from the Auditor General’s audit, 5) solar project update, and 6) report on Board officers’ telephonic meeting for input from the Board for the six-month evaluation of the General Manager and CEO. The full agenda package is available on the Portal. Contact: Jacob Williams
Executive Committee
The Executive Committee met last Thursday and approved cost sharing with Beaches Energy for JEA backup transmission. The full agenda package is available on the Portal. Contact: Jacob Williams
Gaffney Promoted to COO
Frank Gaffney was promoted to Chief Operating Officer of FMPA last Thursday. In this role, he will be responsible for FMPA’s power generation and work with staff to provide low-cost, reliable and clean power for its owners-customers. Gaffney will continue to oversee FMPA’s System Planning, Transmission Planning, Operations & Short-Term Planning and Generation Fleet Operation and Maintenance functions. Contact: Jacob Williams
Treasure Coast Energy Center
Treasure Coast Unit 1 was taken offline last Saturday for a planned maintenance outage. It is scheduled to come back online April 1. Contact: David Schumann
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THIS WEEK
NERC Reliability Leadership Summit
Carol Chinn travels to Washington, D.C., on Monday for the North American Electric Reliability Corporation’s Reliability Leadership Summit. She will participate in a meeting of the Reliability Issues Steering Committee, on which she serves. The purpose of the summit is to identify and assess priorities for the coming year.
Stock Island Visit
Carl Turner and Ian Beason travel to the Stock Island Generating Facility in Key West on Monday to discuss ongoing projects with the plant engineering staff.
Meter Tech Roundtable
FMPA’s Meter Tech Roundtable will be held Wednesday at 10 a.m. at Orlando Utilities Commission’s Pershing facility. Discussion topics include operating practices, equipment, tools, safety, training, apprentice training and more. Attendance is free, and lunch will be provided. Contact: Sharon Smeenk
ARP Bond Refinancing RFP
Friday at 2 p.m. is the deadline for responses to FMPA’s Request for Proposal (RFP) seeking financial institutions to refinance variable-rate bonds issued in 2011 for the All-Requirements Project. The RFP is available for download on FMPA.com. Contact: Linda Howard
All-Requirements Project Weekly Load Statistics
The weekly update of the All-Requirements Project’s historical load graph has been posted on the Portal. The graph is updated through March 19. Contact: Jim Arntz
Special Dates
Congratulations to Michelle Pisarri, who celebrates 12 years with FMPA on Tuesday, March 21.
Congratulations to Peter Moore, who celebrates 13 years with FMPA on Wednesday, March 22.
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COMING UP
State Legislative Rally
The Florida Municipal Electric Association’s (FMEA) annual Legislative Rally will be held March 27-28 in Tallahassee. This is an opportunity for municipal electric utilities to meet with state legislators on electric issues. The schedule and registration information is available on FMEA’s website. Contact: Amy Zubaly at FMEA.
Member Services Advisory Committee
FMPA’s Member Services Advisory Committee will hold a telephonic meeting March 30 at 10 a.m. Contact: Sharon Smeenk
Distribution Reliability Roundtable
Friday is the registration deadline for FMPA’s annual Distribution Reliability Roundtable scheduled for April 4 at 10 a.m. in FMPA’s Orlando office. The roundtable will provide a forum for participants to discuss distribution and reliability topics, including the reporting process, definitions, interpretations and best practices. There is no cost to attend, and lunch will be provided. Contact: Sharon Smeenk
Human Resources Roundtable
The deadline to register for FMPA’s Human Resources Roundtable is Friday. The roundtable will be held April 6 at 10 a.m. in FMPA’s Orlando office. Discussion topics will include benefits, recruiting, retention, training, policies and more. Admission is free, and lunch will be provided. Contact: Sharon Smeenk
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INDUSTRY NEWS
PSC to take up Gulf Power Rate Case
The Florida Public Service Commission (PSC) will begin a multi-day hearing Monday on Gulf Power’s request for a $106.8 million rate increase. Gulf provides electricity to about 450,000 customers in eight counties in the Florida Panhandle. Documents filed in support of the increase say Gulf needs the increase to continue to provide reasonable and adequate service to its customers. The Office of Public Counsel (OPC), along with some industry groups, oppose the increase, saying the rates for Gulf should actually decrease by $2 million. Gulf is seeking an 11% retu on equity, while OPC is advocating 8.9%.
PSC to Consider Natural Gas Hedging
Florida’s investor-owned utilities (IOUs) might once again engage in natural gas price hedging under a proposal presented in late-February to the Florida Public Service Commission (PSC). A moratorium on hedging has been in place since November. Under the latest proposal, IOUs would use commodity options to set an upper threshold for natural gas prices. They say this would protect customers from sudden increases in gas prices, while avoiding significant hedging losses experienced in recent years. PSC staff has proposed an alteative plan using traditional hedges with an upper threshold on natural gas prices as well as a threshold for hedging losses, including an option to unwind hedges if prices drop significantly. The Florida Industrial Power Users Group weighed in, saying it opposes any form of hedging. The PSC has yet to schedule a hearing on the proposals.
Supreme Court Overturns PSC
The Florida Supreme Court issued a decision last Thursday overtuing a ruling by the Florida Public Service Commission (PSC) allowing Florida Public Utilities (FPU) to recover certain costs through a fuel clause. The PSC allowed FPU to use the fuel clause on its customers’ bills to recover the cost of an interconnection project with Florida Power & Light. FPU does not generate any of its own power. The Supreme Court ruled that those costs should be recouped through a base-rate case, rather than through the fuel adjustment clause.
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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 or Sean Murtha 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.
Have a question, comment or story idea for the newsletter? FMPA welcomes your feedback at any time. Contact: Jeff Grainger or Sean Murtha
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Florida Municipal Power Agency
8553 Commodity Circle
Orlando, FL 32819-9002
Tel 407 355-7767
Fax 407 355-5794
http://www.fmpa.com
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