FMPA Weekly
A weekly e-newsletter for FMPA members
Nov. 5, 2018
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LAST WEEK
U.S. Rep. Brian Mast Visits Power Plant
Rep. Brain Mast visited Treasure Coast Energy Center in Fort Pierce last Tuesday. He heard presentations from Fort Pierce Utilities Authority’s senior staff and toured the plant. Pictures are posted to FMPA’s Facebook page. Contact: Mark McCain
Chattahoochee Presentation
Jody Finklea attended the Chattahoochee City Council meeting last Thursday to discuss the city’s options for rate treatment to cover storm-related costs. The Council approved hiring Craig Dunlap as its financial advisor to create a plan for borrowing funds for storm-recovery costs. In addition, the Council approved hiring a consultant to assist with FEMA documentation.
DEED Grants
The spring grant cycle opened last Thursday for the American Public Power Association’s (APPA) research and development program called Demonstration of Energy & Efficiency Developments (DEED). FMPA pays DEED dues on behalf of FMPA members who are also APPA members. DEED members can apply for up to $125,000 in funding for innovative utility projects. Grants may be used to improve utilities by increasing efficiency, reducing costs, developing new technologies, offering new services or improving processes to better serve customers. Information about how to apply can be found on APPA’s website. Contact: Cairo Vanegas
Annual Habitat Monitoring Inspection
A site compliance inspection was conducted at Cane Island Power Park in Kissimmee last Friday with personnel from the South Florida Water Management District and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Discussion centered on current and future habitat management and monitoring activities in the conservation areas surrounding the power plant. Contact: David Schumann
Planned Maintenance Outages
Cane Island Unit 1 came back online last Wednesday after a planned maintenance outage. Treasure Coast Unit 1 went offline Sunday for a planned maintenance outage. Contact: David Schumann
All-Requirements Project October Load Statistics
The All-Requirements Project’s non-Contract Rate of Delivery peak for October was 1,158 MW, which occurred Oct. 17 between 4 p.m. and 5 p.m. The project’s load factor for October was 62%. Load factor is a ratio of actual energy (MWh) used during the period versus what would have been consumed if demand was at peak for the entire period. A higher load factor indicates more effective system utilization and results in lower average costs. The monthly peak was 110% of the budgeted peak, and energy was 109% of the budget. A graph showing the All-Requirements Project hourly load for October is available on the Portal. Contact: Jim Arntz
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THIS WEEK
Member City Visits
Jacob Williams travels to Blountstown on Tuesday and then to Chattahoochee Tuesday evening for a presentation to the City Council. Jacob will be in Quincy on Wednesday for a regional meeting with Panhandle utilities about the FEMA Public Assistance Program. Mike McCleary travels to Starke on Monday, Blountstown and Chattahoochee on Tuesday, Quincy on Wednesday and Wauchula on Thursday with Cairo Vanegas for member city visits. Chris Gowder and Susan Schumann travel to Gainesville on Monday to discuss the Florida Municipal Solar Project and other topics. Carl Turner travels to Fort Pierce on Monday and Ocala on Wednesday for annual planning meetings with transmission owners. Luis Cruz travels to Ocala on Tuesday to discuss cyber mutual aid and corporate information technology. Luis visits Chattahoochee on Tuesday to install computers donated by FMPA.
APPA Customer Connections Workshop
Ryan Dumas and Jeff Grainger attend American Public Power Association’s Customer Connections Workshop in Orlando through Wednesday.
FEMA Public Assistance
Jacob Williams, Jody Finklea, Dan O’ Hagan and Mike McCleary will be in Quincy on Wednesday to host a discussion about the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Public Assistance Program. All FMPA member cities affected by Hurricane Michael are invited to hear about filing requirements of the program that provides federal assistance to local governments after a disaster. Participants also will hear about the Florida Division of Emergency Management’s review process for FEMA grant awards.
Florida Women in Energy Leadership Forum
Jacob Williams, Sharon Adams, Linda Howard and Susan Schumann attend the Florida Women in Energy Leadership Forum in Destin, Florida, on Wednesday through Friday. Jacob will participate on a panel discussing “Innovation, Technology, and a Better Future.”
Cane Island Annual Environmental Training
Annual environmental training for staff at Cane Island Power Park in Kissimmee is Tuesday and Wednesday. The training will provide Cane Island staff with an opportunity to become familiar with the Integrated Contingency, Storm Water Pollution Prevention and the Water Conservation plans and response procedures, participate in a tabletop exercise and discuss facility operations. Contact: David Schumann
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 October loads, 3) resource update for October, and 4) review of October ARP rate calculation. Contact: Jason Wolfe
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 Nov. 4. Contact: Jim Arntz
Special Dates
Congratulations to Ellen Leatherman, who celebrates 11 years with FMPA on Monday, Nov. 5.
Congratulations to David Schumann, who celebrates 16 years with FMPA on Sunday, Nov. 11.
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COMING UP
Meter Tech Roundtable
Tuesday is the deadline to register for the Meter Tech Roundtable. The meeting provides an opportunity for meter maintenance staff to discuss operating practices, equipment, tools, safety, training and more. The roundtable will be held in Bartow on Nov. 13 at 10 a.m. The roundtable is open to meter technicians, meter shop staff and managers, and utility staff members. Registration is free, and lunch will be provided. Contact: Sharon Samuels
Treasure Coast Energy Center Tour
FMPA will host a tour of Treasure Coast Energy Center in Fort Pierce on Nov. 14 at 1 p.m. Unit 1 will be in an outage at that time. Members can contact Sue Utley if they are interested in attending.
November Governing Board Meetings
FMPA’s governing boards will meet Nov. 15 in Orlando beginning with the Audit and Risk Oversight Committee (AROC) at 8:30 a.m. The Board of Directors will meet at 9 a.m., or immediately following AROC. The Executive Committee will meet at 9:30 a.m., or immediately following the Board. Contact: Jacob Williams
Wire and Cable Bid
FMPA is preparing to issue a bid for wire and cable, and members are invited to participate. The bid will include FEMA-required language and a price fluctuation mechanism that allows members to take advantage of market-price reductions throughout the life of the agreement. Interested members should contact Sharon Samuels by Nov. 21 to participate.
FAASSTeR Project Workshop and Stakeholder Seminar
The Florida Alliance for Accelerating Solar and Storage Technology Readiness (FAASSTeR) initiative meets Nov. 27-28 at Orlando Airport Marriott Lakeside for a project team meeting and workshop. There will also be a stakeholder seminar Nov. 29-30 in Orlando. The workshop will provide opportunities to share results, gather input, have team discussions and plan future activities. The stakeholder seminar will include an update on activities and results associated with the FAASSTeR initiative, updates from Florida utilities on projects related to solar and energy storage, and opportunities for discussion. There is no cost to register for FAASSTeR project team members or Florida Municipal Electric Association members.
APPA Joint Action Conference
FMPA’s governing board members are encouraged to attend the American Public Power Association’s (APPA) Joint Action Conference on Jan. 6-8, 2019, in Key West. This is a good opportunity to attend a national conference in Florida and hear topics important to FMPA and other joint action agencies around the country. To encourage attendance, FMPA will reimburse all travel expenses for Executive Committee members, and for Board members, FMPA will reimburse the conference registration fee. For more information and to register, visit APPA’s conference webpage.
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INDUSTRY NEWS
PSC Approves Post-Hurricane Suspended Billing
The Florida Public Service Commission (PSC) last Thursday approved the suspension of monthly electric utility bills from Duke Energy Florida and Florida Public Utility Co. in the areas hardest hit by Hurricane Michael. The suspension will affect more than 28,000 Duke customers and 13,000 Florida Public Utilities customers. The PSC approved the suspension due to extreme damage in areas served by the two utilities, including suspended mail delivery. The suspension will continue until further notice. Customers of Duke and Florida Public Utilities will not be charged late fees or penalties while the suspension is in effect. The utilities needed the approval of the PSC because of a state rule requires utilities to bill customers monthly.
JEA Narrows CEO Search to Four Candidates
The CEO Search Committee for JEA approved a short list of four candidates last Wednesday to recommend for the full Board’s consideration in November. The candidates include: 1) JEA’s Interim CEO Aaron Zahn, 2) Frankie McDermott, chief energy delivery officer for the Sacramento Municipal Utility District, 3) Cris Eugster, COO of CPS Energy, and 4) Pamela Hill, former CEO of Bahamas Power and Light. Background checks on the candidates will be conducted by JEA’s executive search firm, and then the candidates will be interviewed Nov. 13 by individual board members. The candidates will be interviewed Nov. 27 by the full board and then the board is expected to vote to name the permanent CEO, though the vote could be moved to the final board meeting of the year on Dec. 11.
GE Plans to Restructure Power Division
General Electric (GE) announced last Tuesday that it will restructure its power business in the middle of an expanded federal probe into its accounting practices. This comes after a $22 billion financial write down on its power division last quarter. GE Power will be reorganized into two units: one for natural gas and one for coal, nuclear and grid services. GE also announced that it would cut additional costs by consolidating corporate functions.
Appeals Court Rejects FPL’s Attempt to Block Class-Action Lawsuit
A panel of the Third District Court of Appeals last week rejected an attempt by Florida Power & Light (FPL) to block a class-action lawsuit claiming the utility was not properly prepared for Hurricane Irma in 2017. A group of customers claimed that the lack of preparation from the utility resulted in damages. FPL had argued that its compliance with a storm-hardening plan is under the jurisdiction of the Florida Public Service Commission (PSC). The appeals court ruling states that the courts are an appropriate forum for determining FPL’s conduct. The ruling went on to say that the PSC does not have the authority to award damages, which are sought in the lawsuit.
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FMPA Weekly is published by FMPA for employees and governing 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 learn more.
Have a question, comment or story idea for the newsletter? FMPA welcomes your feedback at any time. Contact: Jeff Grainger or Lisa Rienhardt
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Florida Municipal Power Agency
8553 Commodity Circle
Orlando, FL 32819-9002
Tel 407 355-7767
Fax 407 355-5794
www.fmpa.com
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