FMPA Weekly
A weekly e-newsletter for FMPA members
June 4, 2018
LAST WEEK
Business Planning and Budget Committee
The Business Planning and Budget Committee met last Wednesday to review the proposed All-Requirements Project budget for fiscal 2019. The budget was approved and recommended to the Executive Committee. The full agenda package is available on the Portal. Contact: Rich Popp
Treasure Coast Energy Center
Treasure Coast Energy Center (TCEC) in Fort Pierce marked its 10-year anniversary of commercial operation last Thursday. Since beginning commercial operations May 31, 2008, the plant has consistently exceeded expectations for reliability, efficiency and environmental performance. The unit has produced 17.7 million MWh and operated nearly 99% of the time when available. It has been forced off-line only 1% of the time, with less than 1,000 hours of unplanned repairs in the past 10 years. The national average is more than 2% per year. TCEC also has nitrogen oxide emissions 93% below the Florida average and 95% lower than the U.S. average. Sulfur dioxide emissions are 99% lower than both the Florida and U.S. averages. A special thanks to Plant Manager Ed Leongomez and the staff from Fort Pierce Utilities Authority who operate the plant and keep it in such great shape. Contact: David Schumann
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THIS WEEK
Member City Visits
Mike McCleary travels to Starke on Tuesday for a City Commission meeting to discuss engineering services. Jacob Williams travels to Mount Dora on Thursday to meet with Electric Utility Director Charles Revell and Deputy Electric Utility Director Steve Langley. Cairo Vanegas travels to Homestead on Friday to meet with Project Manager Jorge Vargas to discuss AMI implementation.
Crew Leadership Course
FMPA hosts a two-day Crew Leadership Course on Wednesday and Thursday at the Orlando office. The training, presented by Northwest Lineman College, provides crew leaders and general foremen with the knowledge and tools to lead crews efficiently, responsibly and safely. Contact: Sharon Samuels
ARP Rate Workshop
The ARP Executive Committee meets Thursday at 2 p.m. via conference call for the monthly All-Requirements Project Rate Workshop. The agenda includes: 1) natural gas markets update, 2) overview of May loads, 3) resource update for May, and 4) review of May ARP rate calculation. Contact: Jason Wolfe
AMI Industry Workshop
Mike McCleary attends the Department of Energy’s “Voices of Experience Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) Industry Workshop on Thursday in Raleigh, North Carolina. The workshop will explore the experiences, opportunities and challenges of implementing AMI in small, rural utilities.
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 June 3. Contact: Jim Arntz
Special Dates
Congratulations to Steve Ruppel, who celebrates 20 years with FMPA on Friday, June 8.
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COMING UP
Distribution Reliability Roundtable
This Wednesday is the deadline to register for FMPA’s annual Reliability Roundtable on June 12 in Orlando. The roundtable is an opportunity to discuss the details of FMPA’s Distribution Reliability Measurement Program as well as reporting procedures and best practices among participating utilities. This year’s roundtable will include an analysis of historical reliability data and presentations on best practices from member utilities that excel in reliability indices. Registration is free, and lunch will be provided. A webcast will be available for those not able to attend in person. Contact: Sharon Samuels
FMPA Goveing Board Meetings
FMPA’s goveing board meetings are scheduled for June 14 in the Orlando office. The Board of Directors will meet at 9 a.m. and the Executive Committee will meet at 9:30 a.m., or immediately after the Board. Contact: Jacob Williams
Florida Breakfast at APPA National Conference
FMPA will host breakfast June 19 for Florida participants attending the American Public Power Association’s (APPA) National Conference in New Orleans. The breakfast is an opportunity for attendees to come together and connect with their Florida peers. A calendar invitation was emailed May 31 from Ryan Dumas to registered Florida attendees. Please respond to the invitation so the appropriate number of meals can be ordered. Contact: Mark McCain
Utility Communicators Roundtable
FMPA and the Florida Municipal Electric Association will host a roundtable for utility and city communicators June 27 at 10 a.m. at FMPA’s Orlando office. The purpose of the roundtable is to discuss hurricane communications and other topics of interest to communication and marketing departments at public power utilities. A conference call-in number and WebEx will be available for those not able to attend in person. Registration is free and lunch will be provided. Participants are asked to register online and suggest discussion topics. Contact: Mark McCain
System Control Roundtable
FMPA will hold a System Control Roundtable on July 11 at 10 a.m. in Lakeland. The roundtable will be an opportunity for operators of power generating units to discuss common issues, share best practices and network with fellow member utilities. The program is targeted to system control personnel who are involved with daily system switching, trouble call dispatch and facilitate crew locations and field activities. There is no cost to attend, and lunch will be provided. Registration is available on FMPA.com. Contact: Mike McCleary
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INDUSTRY NEWS
The Florida Public Service Commission (PSC) is scheduled this Tuesday to review the plan by Florida Power & Light (FPL) to purchase Vero Beach’s electric utility. For the deal to move forward, the PSC must approve FPL’s purchase of the Vero Beach utility, give FPL the authority to charge its rates to Vero Beach customers, and modify utility service territories.
Florida Supreme Court Backs PSC on FPL Agreement
A Florida Supreme Court ruling in May unanimously supported a 2016 decision by the Florida Public Service Commission (PSC) approving a rate agreement for Florida Power & Light (FPL). The Sierra Club had challenged part of the agreement that dealt with replacing peaking units, arguing that FPL had not been required to consider alteatives, such as solar energy, to meet peak demands. In the rate agreement, FPL sought to charge customers to replace older peaking units with more efficient units. FPL had projected that the peaking project would result in $203 million in long-term customer savings because the new units would operate more efficiently and have lower emissions than the old units.
APPA Launches New Mutual Aid Commendation Program
The American Public Power Association (APPA) announced a new Mutual Aid Commendation Program last Friday to highlight the efforts of municipal electric utilities in disaster response. The program recognizes utilities that have answered the call for assistance and aided another utility in restoring power to customers. The online nomination form is open for utilities to receive the commendation moving forward and retroactive to June 2017.
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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 Lisa Rienhardt 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 Lisa Rienhardt