FMPA Weekly
A weekly e-newsletter for FMPA members
June 24, 2019
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LAST WEEK
International Women in Engineering Day
The Orlando Sentinel published an essay last Friday from FMPA’s Carol Chinn about International Women in Engineering Day. In her commentary, Carol discussed her journey in engineering in hopes of encouraging the next generation of female engineers to “Go for it.” Carol is the Chief Information Security Officer at FMPA and has been an engineer in the electric utility industry for 38 years. The full story can be found at this link.
Hurricane Preparedness Forum
Jacob Williams and Mike McCleary attended Sen. Rick Scott’s Hurricane Preparedness Forum last Monday in Orlando. A speaker from the Federal Emergency Management Agency discussed resources on its website to aid disaster assistance applicants in adhering to the Federal procurement standards in order to reduce the likelihood of disallowance.
Joint Purchasing Presentation
Sharon Samuels spoke last Tuesday to the Alabama Municipal Electric Authority’s (AMEA) Joint Purchase Working Group. AMEA is investigating the creation of a joint purchasing effort, like FMPA’s. Sharon joined the working group via telephone to share best practices and strategies for success. FMPA’s Joint Purchase Project (JPP) will celebrate its 25th anniversary in July, and Sharon has been an integral part of JPP for the past 21 years.
Executive Committee Workshop
FMPA’s Executive Committee hosted a workshop last Wednesday to evaluate natural gas volatility to ensure budget alignment possibly at the member level. The topic was raised at FMPA’s Strategic Planning Session. The workshop outlined a program that would allow FMPA’s members to individually lock in physical natural prices for a portion of their load. Any decision will require approval from the Executive Committee. FMPA encourages feedback from its members and will follow up with cities who express interest in the program. More details will be announced. The full agenda package is available on the Portal. Contact: Ken Rutter
Board of Directors
FMPA’s Board of Directors met last Thursday and approved four action items: 1) FMPA-ECG Alliance agreement and service confirmation for fiscal 2020, 2) external audit firm, 3) fiscal 2020 budgets for the Stanton, Tri-City, Stanton II, St. Lucie, Solar and Pooled Loan projects as well as the fiscal 2020 Agency allocations, and 4) bank for the Pooled Loan Project. The full agenda package is available on the Portal. Contact: Jacob Williams
ARP Executive Committee
The ARP Executive Committee met last Thursday and approved four action items: 1) conservation program policy, 2) external audit firm, 3) fiscal 2020 budgets for the Agency and the All-Requirements Project, and 4) extension of line of credit with JP Morgan. The full agenda package is available on the Portal. Contact: Jacob Williams
Electric Deregulation Ballot Initiative Joint Reply Brief
FMPA, Florida Municipal Electric Association (FMEA) and Orlando Utilities Commission filed a joint reply brief last Friday at the Florida Supreme Court in opposition to the electric deregulation ballot initiative that would allow customers of investor-owned utilities to choose their electricity provider. FMEA will participate in oral arguments before the court in August. The Supreme Court is expected to rule later this year. Contact: Jody Finklea
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THIS WEEK
Member City Visits
Jacob Williams and Jody Finklea visit Jacksonville Beach on Monday while Mike McCleary travels to Bushnell. Jacob visits Havana on Tuesday for a Town Council meeting to discuss FMPA’s Solar Project Phase II. Navid Nowakhtar and Susan Schumann visit Bartow on Friday to review the Value of Municipal Utility presentation.
Finance Committee
The Finance Committee meets Tuesday at 9 a.m. via teleconference. The agenda includes four information items: 1) a report on capital appreciation bonds, 2) 2019 internal audit calendar, 3) risk policy compliance review, and 4) operational audit report. The full agenda package is available on the Portal. Contact: Linda Howard
Rating Agency Visits
Jacob Williams, Jody Finklea, Linda Howard and Ken Rutter travel to New York City for meetings on Thursday with credit rating agencies. The group will meet with Fitch Ratings and Moody’s Investors Service to provide an update on FMPA.
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COMING UP
Cybersecurity Summit
A Cybersecurity Summit hosted by the American Public Power Association (APPA) on July 10-11 in Orlando will provide information on cybersecurity tools, technologies and resources to help municipal utilities of all sizes. Event information and registration are available on APPA’s website. Contact: Carter Manucy
FMEA Annual Conference and FMPA Meetings
The Florida Municipal Electric Association (FEMA) hosts its Annual Conference on July 16-18 at Hyatt Coconut Point in Bonita Springs. The room block extension ends today. As part of the conference, FMPA’s Board of Directors will meet July 17 at 8 a.m. followed by the Executive Committee. FMPA’s Policy Makers Liaisons Committee meets July 18 at 3 p.m. The conference also will include FMPA’s annual Board of Directors luncheon.
Substation Training
FMPA’s Substation Inspection & Testing Training will take place Aug. 20-21 in Orlando. Session topics include: 1) substation inspections, 2) electrical equipment testing, 3) battery testing, maintenance and troubleshooting, 4) SF6 gas testing, and 5) mobile substation. Registration is $900 per person. Contact: Sharon Samuels
Electric Utility System Operations Training
The Florida Municipal Electric Association (FMEA) hosts a training class about Electrical Utility System Operations in Jacksonville Beach on Aug. 20-22. The class is designed to give participants with no electrical background an understanding of electric utility operations. Registration is $675 per person for FMEA members.
Meterman Certification
FMPA members are eligible to participate in a one-year Meterman Certification Program from Electric Cities of Georgia (ECG). The program, available through the FMPA-ECG Alliance, features topics on safe metering work practices, metering terminology and an in-depth look at single-phase and poly-phase meters. There are two, three-days classes held Aug. 20-22, 2019, and April 14-16, 2020. Each session includes hands-on and classroom instruction. Registration and more information is available. Contact: Mike McCleary
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INDUSTRY NEWS
NextEra Energy is considering combining its Florida Power & Light subsidiary with recently acquired Gulf Power into one single utility serving Florida, according to a report last week from S&P Global Market Intelligence. During NextEra’s 2019 investor conference on June 20, Gulf Power President Marlene Santos said executives are investigating the financial and operational impacts of merging the two utilities. Management has not made a final decision, but Santos said there are synergies that could make it an attractive option. “One of the big benefits of being able to do this is because it takes a lot of time to file a rate case, and we would be to be able to file one rate case for one company,” she said during a presentation on Gulf Power. NextEra purchased Gulf Power from Southern Company in 2018 for $4.35 billion in cash and the assumption of about $1.3 billion debt, according to S&P Global Market Intelligence.
EPA Releases Final Affordable Clean Energy Rule
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Andrew Wheeler signed last Wednesday the final Affordable Clean Energy (ACE) Rule, which replaces the Clean Power Plan. The ACE Rule aims to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by focusing on heat-rate improvements that can be applied to coal-fired generating units. EPA projects that ACE will result in annual net benefits of $120 million to $730 million, including costs, domestic climate benefits and health co-benefits. “With ACE, along with additional expected emissions reductions based on long-term industry trends, we expect to see CO2 emissions from the electric sector fall by as much as 35% below 2005 levels in 2030,” according to EPA. On the same day that Wheeler signed the ACE Rule, several parties said they intended to file legal challenges to the rule. The new rule is currently set to take effect 30 days after it is published in the Federal Register. States would then have three years to submit a compliance plan.
FERC Commissioner LaFleur to Resign
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) member Cheryl LaFleur will not seek a third term at the agency and will depart later in 2019, she announced last Thursday on Twitter. The pending departure of LaFleur, a Democrat, likely will restore a Republican majority at the commission responsible for decisions affecting the U.S. electric power and natural gas sectors. LaFleur was first nominated to FERC by President Barack Obama in 2010 and was confirmed for a second term by the Senate in 2014. Her departure will leave a second vacancy on the five-member commission.
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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 Melisa Inanc or Kenasia Lealie 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 story idea for the newsletter? FMPA welcomes all employees’ story suggestions including updates on FMPA business, employees’ personal or family accomplishments, as well as industry news suggestions. Contact: Melisa Inanc or Kenasia Lealie
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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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