FMPA Weekly
A weekly e-newsletter for FMPA members
Sept. 25, 2017
LAST WEEK
Hurricane Irma Recovery
Hurricane Irma’s widespread damage inspired the largest storm-recovery effort in the nation’s history in order to retu electric service to nearly 6.7 million homes and businesses in Florida, or two-thirds of the state. More than 1,500 out-of-state municipal crews provided mutual aid to supplement approximately 1,000 in-state municipal crews. The municipal resources were part of well more than 50,000 total recovery resources in the state. The final numbers will be tallied in the near future. Municipal customers throughout Florida had their power restored one to two days sooner on average than customers of other Florida utilities. FMPA’s staff and staff from member utilities aided in the restoration effort by sending people with specialized skills to the hardest hit member cities. Other tasks FMPA staff took on included coordinating conference calls and text messages for municipals, emergency procurement on behalf of members, buying supplies for traveling staff, creating ID cards and car magnets to enable staff to travel to Key West, driving supplies to FMPA’s staff in south Florida, coordinating conference calls for municipal communicators, sharing restoration news via social media and more. Many of these efforts were a first for FMPA related to storm response. The Agency will be looking for more ways to help members during future emergencies. At FMPA’s generating facilities, minor repairs were needed at Treasure Coast, Cane Island and St. Lucie Unit 1. Five units at the Stock Island were damaged, but four have since been repaired. The Stanton units operated throughout the storm, although stack damage led to an outage for Unit 2 after the storm. Contact: Jacob Williams
Vero Beach Progress
Jacob Williams reported to the Executive Committee last Thursday that meetings have begun with FMPA member cities and other third-parties to discuss the proposed sale of Vero Beach’s electric utility. Jacob, Jody Finklea and Mark Larson recently went to New York to meet with representatives of Fitch Ratings, Moody’s Investors Service and TD Bank, a bond trustee. During the three-hour meetings, FMPA reviewed the transaction in detail and described the legal documents involved. The meetings were also timely to discuss Hurricane Irma’s impact on Florida and the Keys, in particular. Opinions from the rating agencies are expected in early November. Meetings also have begun with the 19 cities that must approve the consents and waivers to release Vero Beach from FMPA projects. Many more city meetings are scheduled in October and November. Representatives of FMPA, Vero Beach and Florida Power & Light met last Friday to discuss various issues related to the deal.
Stanton II Project Participants Committee
The Stanton II Project Participants Committee met last Thursday and approved parameters to move forward with a refinancing of the project’s series 2000 and 2004 bonds. The agenda is available on the Portal. Contact: Jacob Williams
Audit and Risk Oversight Committee
The Audit and Risk Oversight Committee met last Thursday and approved: 1) revisions to the Debt Risk Management Policy, 2) revisions to the Investment Risk Management Policy, 3) revisions to the Accounting Risk Management Policy, 4) regulatory assets and liabilities created by regulatory accounting practices, and 5) St. Lucie audit for fiscal years 2015 and 2016. The full agenda package is available on the Portal. Contact: Rich Popp
Board of Directors
FMPA’s Board of Directors met last Thursday and approved: 1) parameters to move forward with refinancing the Stanton II Project’s series 2000 and 2004 bonds, 2) St. Lucie audit for fiscal years 2015 and 2016, 3) a contract for General Manager and CEO Jacob Williams, and 4) a contract for FMPA’s new General Counsel and CLO Jody Finklea. The full agenda package is available on the Portal. Contact: Jacob Williams
General Counsel
FMPA’s Board of Directors named Jody Finklea as General Counsel and CLO at its meeting last Thursday. Jody joined FMPA in 2001 and has held several positions during his tenure, most recently as Deputy General Counsel and Manager of Legal Affairs. Fred Bryant will serve as General Counsel Emeritus until his retirement on Jan. 5, 2018.
Executive Committee
The Executive Committee met last Thursday and approved the FMPP CHP transition project. The full agenda package is available on the Portal. Contact: Jacob Williams
ARP Summer Peak
The 2017 summer peak demand for FMPA’s All-Requirements Project (ARP) was 1,237 MW on Aug. 31. This is 44 MW less than the all-time summer peak of 1,281 MW set in 2005, adjusted to reflect the current ARP membership. Contact: Joe McKinney
Excellence as a Supervisor II
The first module of Series II of FMPA’s Excellence as a Supervisor training, previously scheduled for last Tuesday and Wednesday, was postponed due to Hurricane Irma. The module has been rescheduled for Oct. 10-11 at FMPA’s Orlando office. Contact: Sharon Smeenk
3 Phase Times
FMPA’s Power Resources Division published the August 2017 edition of 3 Phase Times last week. This monthly report provides information about the All-Requirements Project’s (ARP) system peak, hourly loads, resource fuel mix, natural gas usage, natural gas pricing and more performance information. The report shows that natural gas represented 81% of ARP’s total energy sources in August. ARP sold 8% of its generation to the Florida Municipal Power Pool (FMPP). Pool sales helped offset ARP costs by 38 cents per MWh. The FMPP Average Monthly Gas Dispatch Price in August was $3.02 per MMBtu, which was 22 cents lower than the budget. The equivalent availability factor of FMPA’s base-load units in August was 99%, which is higher than the annual projection. For more information, download 3 Phase Times from the Portal. Contact: Frank Gaffney
THIS WEEK
APPA Legislative Rally
The American Public Power Association (APPA) has scheduled its annual Legislative Rally for Feb. 26-28, 2018, at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington, D.C. The Rally is an opportunity for members of the public power community to participate in the federal legislative process. FMPA has budgeted funds to pay the travel expenses for 14 members to attend the Rally. Mark McCain sent an email Monday to FMPA members with information about the Rally. The first 14 people to respond to Mark will be eligible for travel reimbursement.
Florida Congressional Reception
Jacob Williams, FMPA’s federal lobbyist Michael Nolan and Amy Zubaly from the Florida Municipal Electric Association will be in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday to visit members of Congress and host a reception that evening for the Florida delegation.
Public Gas Partners
Jacob Williams travels to Austin, Texas, on Wednesday and Thursday to attend a Public Gas Partners strategic planning meeting.
FEMA Reimbursement Webinar
FMPA will hold a webinar Thursday at 10 a.m. to discuss Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) reimbursement requirements and other issues related to Hurricane Irma recovery. All requests for FEMA public assistance must be submitted by Oct. 10. FEMA refers to this filing as a “pre-application. More information about FEMA reimbursement and the webinar was sent last Friday in an email from Dan O’Hagan.
Welcome, Justin Harris
Justin Harris joins FMPA’s staff Monday as Environmental Engineer. Before coming to FMPA, Justin worked for NAES Corporation at the AMP Fremont Energy Center in Ohio where he served as Environmental, Health & Safety Compliance Coordinator. He has a bachelor’s degree in Water Resources from Heidelberg University in Ohio. We are happy to have Justin as a member of FMPA’s team.
Meal Per Diem Calculator
FMPA’s Meal Per Diem Calculator updated for fiscal 2018 will be available on the Portal by Oct. 1. Meal rates for Florida are the same as fiscal 2017. The fiscal 2018 version of the calculator includes a new pop-up calendar for selecting travel dates. The calculator is used by Executive Committee members whose travel to FMPA meetings qualifies for meal reimbursement. Contact: Mark McCain
Special Dates
Congratulations to Mark Larson, who celebrates 15 years with FMPA on Monday, Sept. 25.
Congratulations to Michele Jackson, who celebrates nine years with FMPA on Saturday, Sept. 30.
Congratulations to Fred Bryant, who celebrates 19 years with FMPA on Sunday, Oct. 1.
Congratulations to Tim Jackson, who celebrates 10 years with FMPA on Sunday, Oct. 1.
Congratulations to Matthew Nichols, who celebrates three years with FMPA on Sunday, Oct. 1.
COMING UP
Electric Utility System Operations
Monday is the deadline to register for Florida Municipal Electric Association’s (FMEA) Electric Utility Systems Operations class to be held Oct. 3-5 at Nova Southeaste University in Orlando. The class is designed to give participants with no electrical background an understanding of electric utility operations or serve as a review for participants familiar with electrical systems. http://publicpower.com/utility-training-institute-electric-utility-system-operations-2/>
IT Community Roundtable
There is still time to https://fmpa.com/event/it-community-roundtable-3/>
INDUSTRY NEWS
Select Committee on Hurricane Response and Preparedness
The Florida House last Tuesday announced a 21-member Select Committee on Hurricane Response and Preparedness to assess Florida’s response to Irma and determine ways to improve for future storms. Issues to be discussed include strengthening the electric grid, evacuation planning, building codes, tax relief and increasing protection for nursing facilities. The committee will be chaired by Jeannette Nuñez. Other members of the committee include: Ray Rodrigues as vice chairman, Ben Albritton, Danny Burgess, Cord Byrd, Bob Cortes, Dane Eagle, Michael Grant, Elizabeth Porter, Holly Raschein, Paul Renner, Chris Sprowls, Cyndi Stevenson, Jay Trumbull, Larry Lee, Jared Moskowitz, Robert Asencio, Tracie Davis, Sean Shaw, Richard Stark and Kristin Jacobs. Municipal utilities with representatives on the committee are encouraged to share their hurricane restoration success stories.
PSC to Review Hurricane Preparedness
The Florida Public Service Commission (PSC) announced plans last Tuesday to evaluate electric utility infrastructure and utilities’ restoration performance in the aftermath of Hurricane Irma. The PSC will review tree-trimming practices, pole-inspection cycles and wind damage to transmission and distribution facilities. Once the evaluation is complete, the PSC will develop ways to improve utility practices and procedures. A spokesperson for the PSC said the review will begin as soon as reasonably practicable.
Moody’s: Municipals to Meet Financial Obligations After Irma
Moody’s Investors Service issued a report following Hurricane Irma saying municipal electric utilities should be able to withstand the credit effects of the hurricane due to sound liquidity and debt-service reserves. The report pointed to municipalities’ track record of making payments to bondholders during severe weather events in the past as a good sign that it can be done again. Moody’s said Hurricane Irma’s impact on local govements will be lessened once state and federal emergency aid is received. The total economic cost of Hurricane Irma is estimated to be between $58 billion and $83 billion.
Gov. Scott Announces License-Free Fishing for Florida Utility Workers
Gov. Rick Scott announced last Friday that he has expanded the license-free freshwater and saltwater fishing offer made to Florida’s law enforcement and first responders to include utility workers. The license-free fishing for these groups is effective immediately through June 30, 2018. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission will accept official utility workers’ identification in lieu of a Florida fishing license during this period. The Florida Department of Environmental Protection is also offering free day-passes to Florida State Parks that can be used on an unlimited basis until October 2018 for all law enforcement officers, first responders and utility workers. Scott said in a prepared statement, “Florida’s utility workers have worked around the clock to tu the lights back on in communities throughout our state, and we are thankful for their relentless commitment and hard work. I am proud today to offer this license-free fishing opportunity to our utility workers as a thank you for their great work and commitment to getting Florida’s power back on.
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 Holly Cammisa 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 Holly Cammisa
Florida Municipal Power Agency
8553 Commodity Circle
Orlando, FL 32819-9002
Tel 407 355-7767
Fax 407 355-5794
http://www.fmpa.com>www.fmpa.com
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