FMPA Weekly
A weekly e-newsletter for FMPA members
Feb. 26, 2018
LAST WEEK
Vero Beach Member City Vote
The Clewiston City Commission and Jacksonville Beach City Council both approved resolutions last Monday that will enable Vero Beach to sell its electric utility. Now, 18 out of 19 member cities have approved the necessary consents and waivers. Contact: Jacob Williams
FMPA’s 40th Anniversary
FMPA celebrated the 40th anniversary of its first meeting last Saturday. The Agency was formed following the oil embargo in the 1970s. At that time, municipal electric utilities around the country were creating joint action agencies to enable individual utilities to provide affordable, reliable and clean electricity for their communities. As FMPA begins its next decade of service, the Agency took the opportunity to refresh its brand. The new logo can be seen on FMPA’s updated https://fmpa.com>
Contract Compliance Audit
Liyuan Woeer, Ellen Leatherman, Khurram Mughal and Kurian Varghese began last week the biennial audit of billings for projects with Orlando Utilities Commission. FMPA’s Contract Compliance Department is verifying charges for Stanton Unit 1, Stanton Unit 2 and the Indian River combustion turbines for the past two years. The audit continues this week.
PURC Conference
Ann Beckwith, Jody Finklea and Susan Schumann were in Gainesville last Wednesday and Thursday for a conference sponsored by the Public Utility Research Center (PURC). Speakers shared information around the conference’s theme of “securing the future of Florida’s utility infrastructure.
Salary Survey
Results of FMPA’s inaugural salary survey were posted to the Portal last week. The survey was created to provide Florida-specific salary and benefit information to help utilities analyze employee retention. All FMPA members were invited to participate and 19 responded. Members who would still like to participate are asked to contact Sharon Smeenk. The survey is expected to be an annual process, so any feedback or suggestions for improvement for next year is welcomed. Contact: Sharon Smeenk
Grant Opportunities
Sharon Smeenk emailed a list of potential grant opportunities last Thursday to interested FMPA members. The Member Services Department has a subscription to Grantfinder.com to assist members in identifying potential funding sources. The service was purchased after several members requested assistance with grants and the service options were discussed with the Member Services Advisory Committee. Member Services sends out periodic emails with grant opportunities. If you would like to receive the emails, contact Sharon Smeenk.
THIS WEEK
APPA Legislative Rally
Representatives from FMPA, the Florida Municipal Electric Association and 16 member cities are in Washington, D.C., on Monday through Wednesday attending the American Public Power Association’s (APPA) Legislative Rally. While in the nation’s capital, participants will meet with Senate and House members or their staff to discuss federal legislative issues related to electric utilities, including infrastructure, advanced refunding, reliability and pole attachments. A copy of the http://fmpa.com/federalpriorities/>
Vero Beach Member City Vote
Frank Gaffney and Chris Gowder travel to Fort Meade on Monday for a scheduled vote on a resolution that would enable the city of Vero Beach to sell its electric utility. This is the final city to act on the necessary consents and waivers.
Member City Visits
Mike McCleary will be in the panhandle this week for member city visits. He is scheduled to meet with Blountstown, Chattahoochee and Havana on Monday, and he travels to Quincy on Tuesday.
Solar Project Communication Task Force
The Communication Task Force for the municipal solar project holds a conference call Tuesday at 10 a.m. The group will discuss project naming and logistics for a project announcement event. Contact: Susan Schumann or Mark McCain
Cane Island Tour RSVP
Friday is the deadline to RSVP for a tour of Cane Island Power Park in Kissimmee and view Unit 4 during a scheduled outage. RSVPs are requested for anyone attending the luncheon, tour, dinner or all three. The events will take place March 14 before and after the Executive Committee Workshop on Cost Competitiveness. Contact: Jacob Williams
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 Feb. 25. Contact: Jim Atz
COMING UP
AMI Workshop
FMPA will host a meeting on Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) workshop scheduled for March 6 at FMPA’s Orlando office. Members who have implemented AMI, are currently implementing AMI or considering AMI are encouraged to attend. The purpose of the meeting is to share information and consider opportunities for working together to assist cities with AMI implementation. There is no cost to attend. https://fmpa.com/event/ami-workshop/>
ARP Telephonic Rate Workshop
The ARP Executive Committee meets March 8 at 2 p.m. via conference call for the monthly All-Requirements Project Rate Workshop. Contact: Jason Wolfe
GIS Roundtable
FMPA will host a Geographic Information Systems (GIS) roundtable on March 22 at FMPA’s Orlando office. The roundtable provides a forum for GIS staff from member utilities to exchange information, share best practices and network with peers. There is no cost to attend, and lunch will be provided. https://fmpa.com/event/fmpa-gis-roundtable-march-22-2018/>
INDUSTRY NEWS
Some individual members of the JEA board expressed support last Tuesday for the concept of selling the utility to a private entity. A consultant hired by the utility’s board said that JEA could be valued anywhere between $7.9 and $11 billion. Also on Tuesday, Jacksonville’s City Council president appointed a committee to hold hearings on the potential sale and make a recommendation in June.
A bill that gives the Florida Public Service Commission exclusive jurisdiction over the placement of transmission lines in the state passed the Senate last Wednesday and now goes to Gov. Rick Scott. The House approved the bill last month. The measure stems from a dispute over the approval of two new nuclear reactors at Florida Power & Light’s Turkey Point complex. Scott and the Cabinet approved the plants in 2014 in its role as the power plant Siting Board. However, objections were raised by South Florida govements that wanted the state to require project-related transmission lines to be underground. An appeals court later overtued the Siting Board’s decision.
Two utilities are willing to offer roughly $10 billion each to buy South Carolina’s state-run electric utility called Santee Cooper, according to a story published Feb. 15 in The Post and Courier. The South Carolina newspaper reported that one of the utilities is Florida’s NextEra Energy. Gov. Henry McMaster started looking for buyers for Santee Cooper after the utility and South Carolina Electric & Gas halted construction on $9 billion nuclear power reactors at the V.C. Summer Nuclear Station. NextEra has been seen as a favorite to buy Santee Cooper. Sen. Larry Grooms, whose district include Santee Cooper’s headquarters, said NextEra officials recently pitched some lawmakers on a sale with a sticker price of more than $15 billion, some of which comes from future projects over the next 30 years. But the actual sales price was slightly under $8 billion, just less than the state power provider’s debt load, Grooms said. The state essentially would be giving away Santee Cooper’s assets, including its power plants and transmission lines, to the Florida utility, he said. NextEra declined comment. Last week, a group of 20 South Carolina electric cooperatives that purchase power from Santee Cooper filed a lawsuit to stop the utility from charging customers for the abandoned nuclear plant.
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 Mason Troche 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 Mason Troche
Florida Municipal Power Agency
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