FMPA Weekly | Nov. 18, 2019 | Member Edition

FMPA Weekly

 

A weekly e-newsletter for FMPA members

 

Nov. 18, 2019

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LAST WEEK

 

TECO Power Purchase Agreement

FMPA finalized power purchase agreements with Tampa Electric Co. (TECO) last week to sell capacity and energy over the next three peak seasons. Beginning Dec. 1, TECO will purchase 112 MW for three months to supplement its winter seasonal needs. TECO will then purchase 74 MW in summer 2020 and 150 MW for the following winter season. These agreements are an opportunity for FMPA to optimize its generation resources as part of the Agency’s strategic plan to keep rates affordable for its member-owners. Contact: Chris Gowder

 

ARP Telephonic Rate Workshop

The ARP Executive Committee held a rate workshop last Tuesday to review the October All-Requirements Project loads, costs and rates. Participant energy sales were 13% above budget and gas costs were 17% below budget, which combined to benefit the All-Requirements Project costs for October. The October average billed demand and energy cost to participants was $55.19 MWh, which was the fifth lowest monthly billed cost since FMPA initiated the monthly rate adjustment mechanism in March 2006. Staff also sought feedback from members as to whether the monthly rate calls were still needed or if they should be cancelled. The feedback received from members was that the rate calls are valuable and should continue to be held. The full agenda package is available on the Portal. Contact: Jason Wolfe

 

Annual Financial Audit

FMPA’s external auditors, Purvis Gray & Company, completed field work last week at FMPA’s Orlando office and found no significant issues. The financial statements will uploaded to the Portal after they’re approved by the Board of Directors and Executive Committee in January. Contact: Danyel Sullivan-Marrero

 

Planned Maintenance Outages

Cane Island Unit 3 returned from a planned outage last Saturday. Cane Island Unit 4 went offline on Saturday for a planned outage and is scheduled to come back online on Nov. 30. Contact: David Schumann

 

FMPA Weekly Readership Survey

Thank you to all members and staff who completed the readership survey for FMPA Weekly. The goal of the survey was to assess the newsletter’s performance in meeting the communication objectives of FMPA and to solicit feedback for enhancements. Key findings included: 1) when asked to rate FMPA Weekly on a scale of one to 10 with 10 being the best at meeting its mission to enhance internal communication by providing timely and useful information about what is happening at the Agency, the average member rating was 8.5 and the average staff rating was nine, 2) 80% of respondents prefer to continue receiving the newsletter weekly, and 3) more than 70% of respondents prefer to continue receiving the newsletter via email. Members and staff both value news stories that: 1) keep them updated with a variety of activities happening at the Agency, and 2) keep them aware of business outcomes that are strategically important. The members find industry news next most valuable, while the staff finds news from other departments valuable. The Public Relations team will consider the feedback as it makes enhancements to the newsletter for its 20th anniversary edition in February. Contact: Melisa Inanc

 

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THIS WEEK

 

Florida Municipal Solar Project Groundbreaking

FMPA, in conjunction with 12 Florida municipal electric utilities and Florida Renewable Partners, LLC, will break ground Monday on the Florida Municipal Solar Project, one of the largest municipal-backed solar projects in the nation. A total of approximately 900,000 solar panels will be installed at two sites in Osceola County and at one site in Orange County. The total generating capability will be 223.5 megawatts of zero-emissions energy, which is enough to power 45,000 typical Florida homes. Construction on phase one of the project will continue through mid-2020. Contact: Ryan Dumas or Susan Schumann

 

Member City Visits

Mike McCleary travels to Alachua and Mount Dora on Monday and Kissimmee on Tuesday to attend lineman safety training meetings. David Schumann and Tim Jackson travel to Key West on Monday and Tuesday. Chris Gowder travels to Clewiston on Monday and Homestead on Wednesday. Jacob Williams travels to Ocala, Ken Rutter travels to Fort Pierce, and Susan Schumann travels to New Smyrna Beach on Tuesday. Chris, Jacob, Ken and Susan will attend each city’s governing board meeting to discuss approval of the Solar II project. The Homestead City Commission meeting will also consider a new power purchase agreement.

 

Annual Transmission Studies

Emmanuel Hernandez, John Lee and Carl Turner travel to Jacksonville Beach on Monday as well as Kissimmee and Ocala on Wednesday. They will discuss the annual transmission study that FMPA conducts for All-Requirements Project members plus Lake Worth Beach.

 

Generation Fleet Coordination Workshop

FMPA holds a generation fleet coordination workshop on Wednesday at 9:30 a.m. via teleconference for the All-Requirements Project fleet. The workshop will discuss the fleet scorecard concept and the October scorecard results. Contact: Ken Rutter

 

HR Roundtable

FMPA’s Human Resources Roundtable is Wednesday at 10 a.m. in Orlando. The roundtable provides a forum to share information on best practices, policies, procedures, laws and more. Contact: Sharon Samuels

 

Cybersecurity Summit

Carol Chinn, Konrad Lisiewicz and Carter Manucy attend the American Public Power Association’s (APPA) Cybersecurity Summit on Monday through Wednesday in Nashville, Tennessee. A Joint Action Agency Advisory Council meets Monday to discuss cybersecurity services for their members. Carter presents Wednesday on how public power utilities should make the most of strategic partnerships to manage cybersecurity activities.

 

FAASSTeR Project Team

Ann Beckwith attends the Florida Alliance for Accelerating Solar and Storage Technology Readiness (FAASSTeR) Stakeholder Workshop and Seminar in Jacksonville on Monday through Wednesday. Susan Schumann attends the workshop on Tuesday and Wednesday. Topics of discussion include updates in solar, storage and distributed energy technologies as well as industry best practices. More information is available on FAASSTeR’s website.

 

Duke Energy Visit

Duke Energy visits FMPA’s Orlando office on Thursday for an introductory meeting. The parties will discuss ongoing collaborative projects, including FMPA’s Solar Projects Phase I and II and Kissimmee Utility Authority’s Intercession City line. Contact: Ken Rutter

 

Public Power Forward Summit

Jacob Williams attends the American Public Power Association’s Public Power Forward Summit on Thursday and Friday in Nashville, Tennessee. The summit discusses new industry trends, technologies and customer expectations for public power utilities.

 

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COMING UP

 

Purchasing Roundtable

FMPA’s Purchasing Roundtable meets Dec. 5 at FMPA’s Orlando office. The event provides a forum for purchasing personnel to meet with peers to discuss procedures, policies, practices, industry changes and other topics of interest. Registration is free, and lunch will be provided. Contact: Sharon Samuels

 

Substation Training

FMPA’s Substation Training series continues Dec. 9-10 at OUC’s Engineering Building with a course on confined space hazard mitigation. The session topics include: 1) identifying substation confined space, 2) the difference between permit and non-permit confined space, 3) review of lockout/tagout, ventilation, atmospheric monitoring, 3) entry requirements, and 4) rescue procedures. Courses are tailored to the specific equipment of the participating utilities, where possible. Registration is $900 for the two-day session, and lunch will be provided. Contact: Sharon Samuels

 

Governing Board Meetings

FMPA’s November governing board meetings originally scheduled for Thursday were cancelled. The Board of Directors and Executive Committee will meet Dec. 12. Contact: Jacob Williams

 

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

 

Jacksonville Budget Panel Approves Incentives for a Natural Gas Export Facility

A $542 million facility that would make Jacksonville a hub for shipments of liquefied natural gas to the Caribbean won initial approval last Tuesday for $23 million in taxpayer incentives from the mayor’s budget committee. Houston-based Eagle LNG Partners LLC proposes to build a natural gas export facility on a 200-acre riverfront tract on the Northside. The city would provide financial incentives over a decade by refunding a portion of the plant’s property taxes. An existing Eagle LNG plant on Jacksonville’s Westside is operational along with smaller operations at the port. The unanimous approval by the mayor’s Budget Review Committee sends the agreement to the City Council for its vote.

 

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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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