FMPA Weekly
A weekly e-newsletter for FMPA members
Oct. 28, 2019
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LAST WEEK
Bushnell Electric Service Expansion
The City of Bushnell completed the switchover of nearly 650 customers from Sumter Electric Cooperative to the City last week, increasing the City’s number of electric customers by 50% to nearly 1,900 customers. Eight public power utilities assisted Bushnell during the expansion project, including Fort Pierce, Gainesville, Tallahassee, Kissimmee, Lakeland, Leesburg, Mount Dora and Ocala along with FMPA and the Florida Municipal Electric Association. Work included installing new power poles, running new wire overhead and underground, installing new electric meters and various types of administration work. Ryan Dumas created a video on Bushnell’s historic system expansion. It is posted on FMPA’s Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter pages.
Bond Issue
FMPA issued refunding bonds last week for the All-Requirements Project. The Series 2019 A and B bonds were priced successfully and achieved all parameters set forth by FMPA’s Executive Committee, resulting in a present value savings for the project. Closing is scheduled for Nov. 7. FMPA staff will provide an update at the December governing board meeting. This refinancing is a continuation of FMPA’s strategy to enhance its financial position by eliminating interest-rate swaps, increasing its fixed-rate debt and paying-off debt early. Contact: Rich Popp
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THIS WEEK
PVC Conduit and Fittings Bid
Monday is the last day for FMPA members to participate in a bid for PVC conduit and fittings. Interested members can contact Sharon Samuels or input their quantities on AURSI.
Stock Island Visit
Tim Jackson, Jamie Noon, Ken Rutter and Chris Schaeffer travel to Stock Island on Monday and Tuesday to discuss Florida Municipal Power Pool, the Gear Up project, and to provide training on Maximo asset management software.
Future of Florida Forum
Jacob Williams attends the Florida Chamber Foundation’s Future of Florida Forum on Monday and Tuesday. The event gathers industry leaders to discuss opportunities and challenges that impact the success of the economy, infrastructure and industries in Florida.
Distinguished Candidate Hiring Conference
Sharon Adams, David Schumann and Maria Veiga attend Orion Talent’s National Distinguished Candidate Hiring Conference on Monday and Tuesday in Atlanta, Georgia. The team will recruit for FMPA’s Power Plant Engineer position and the Mechanic and Instrumentation Control Specialist positions at Treasure Coast Energy Center.
Customer Connections Conference
Ryan Dumas attends the American Public Power Association’s Customer Connections Conference on Monday through Wednesday in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Member City Visits
Susan Schumann travels to New Smyrna Beach on Monday to discuss Solar Project Phase II. Jody Finklea travels to Havana on Tuesday. Cairo Vanegas travels to Orlando Utilities Commission on Tuesday and Homestead on Wednesday. Navid Nowakhtar travels to Winter Park on Wednesday for the city’s board meeting.
TAPS Conference
Carol Chinn attends the Transmission Access Policy Study Group’s (TAPS) fall conference on Monday through Thursday in Madison, Wisconsin. TAPS members meet twice a year to discuss issues common among transmission-dependent utilities.
Solar Project Phase I
The Solar Project Phase I Committee meets Thursday at 10 a.m. via conference call to consider Florida Renewable Partners’ proposed solutions to address the Poinsett facility delay. Contact: Susan Schumann
Member Services Advisory Committee
The Member Services Advisory Committee (MSAC) meets Thursday at 2 p.m. via conference call. Barbara Quinones named Joe Bunch of New Smyrna Beach as Interim Chairman of MSAC. The committee will elect a new chair and consider approving guidelines for when to charge for significant staff time spent providing services to an individual member. If approved, the guidelines would be recommended to FMPA’s Board of Directors for final consideration. The full agenda package is available on the Portal. Contact: Mark McCain
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 Oct. 27. Contact: Jason Wolfe
Special Dates
Congratulations to Emmanuel Hernandez, who celebrates one year with FMPA on Tuesday, Oct. 29.
Congratulations to Ed Nunez, who celebrates 12 years with FMPA on Tuesday, Oct. 29.
Congratulations to Dale Ray, who celebrates one year with FMPA on Friday, Nov. 1.
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COMING UP
Meter Tech Roundtable
Monday is the deadline to register for FMPA’s Meter Tech Roundtable on Nov. 6 at 10 a.m. in Leesburg. Registration is free, and lunch will be provided. Contact: Sharon Samuels
Florida Municipal Solar Project Groundbreaking
FMPA will hold a ceremonial groundbreaking on Nov. 18 at 10 a.m. to celebrate the start of construction on the Florida Municipal Solar Project. The event will be held at the Harmony site in South Osceola County. Participant coordinators should contact Ryan Dumas with a list of invitees.
FAASSTeR Project Team
Friday is the deadline to register for the Florida Alliance for Accelerating Solar and Storage Technology Readiness (FAASSTeR) Stakeholder Workshop and Seminar on Nov. 18-20. The hotel registration deadline for the Hyatt Regency Jacksonville Riverfront is Nov. 4. There is no cost to register for FAASSTeR project team members or FMEA municipal members. Contact: Ann Beckwith
Public Power Cybersecurity Summit and Scorecard
The American Public Power Association’s (APPA) Cybersecurity Summit is Nov. 18-20 in Nashville. Members are encouraged to complete the Public Power Cybersecurity Scorecard, an online self-assessment tool to assess security levels for cyber risks. FMPA staff is available to help members complete the scorecard. Contact: Carol Chinn
Nissan Electric Vehicle Rebates
The American Public Power Association has partnered with Nissan to offer public power communities exclusive rebates on the 2019 all-electric Nissan LEAF. Public power customers and employees are eligible for a rebate of $3,500 on the 2019 Nissan LEAF 40 kWh Standard and $2,500 on the 2019 Nissan LEAF 62 kWh ePlus. Municipal utilities can also use the rebates for fleet vehicles. The rebates expire Jan. 2, 2020.
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INDUSTRY NEWS
FPL May File to Recover Costs from Hurricane Dorian
Florida Power & Light may file to recover expenses related to Hurricane Dorian. No filing has been made yet at the Florida Public Service Commission, but an FPL official said last week that the utility is able to recover storm restoration costs and the current estimate is $274 million. While the hurricane spared South Florida and much of FPL’s service territory, the utility incurred overtime costs for its employees during the Labor Day weekend and had approximately 17,000 mutual aid resources mobilized. The storm caused power outages for about 160,000 FPL customers.
Website Glitches May Impact Deregulation Ballot Initiative
Technical issues with the Florida Department of State’s website where petition gatherers register with the state may impact the ability of the electric deregulation ballot initiative from being included on next year’s ballot. The energy initiative is required to produce 766,200 valid signatures by Feb. 1 to be included on the ballot. Currently, it has 487,395. Alex Patton, chairman of Citizens for Energy Choices, says the website crashing is costing his team 1,500 signatures per day. The Division of Elections has provided a paper form that can be submitted in the meantime, but Patton says members of his team have been waiting for more than three weeks to receive approval from the state. Patton is calling for the Division of Elections to postpone the Feb. 1 deadline due to the recent approval difficulties.
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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 Rachel Ilardi 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: Melisa Inanc or Rachel Ilardi
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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
Community Power. Statewide Strength. ®
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