FMPA Weekly
A weekly e-newsletter for FMPA members
April 17, 2017
LAST WEEK
Bill Conrad
Bill Conrad, chairman of FMPA’s Board of Directors, did not seek re-election as Mayor of the City of Newberry. His last day in office was last Wednesday, and Jacob Williams attended his final City Council meeting where Bill was honored for his years of service to the city. Bill will continue to serve as the city’s representative to FMPA’s Board and Executive Committee.
Solar Facility Tour
Michele Jackson, Ann Beckwith and Navid Nowakhtar traveled to Jacksonville last Thursday to tour a solar power generating facility that is under construction. The group was able to ask questions and lea about the challenges of building such a facility.
Cane Island Unit 3
Cane Island Unit 3 came back online last Tuesday after a planned maintenance outage. Contact: David Schumann
FERC Cyber Security Visit
Carter Manucy visited the Federal Energy Regulation Commission (FERC) in Washington, D.C., last week for an informal discussion with commission staff and industry representatives about cyber security strategies. FERC is seeking expert advice on topics, such as whitelisting and inteet isolation, as it considers an order that will direct the development of mandatory reliability standards.
Compensation Study
Springsted, Inc. has been selected to conduct a compensation study for FMPA in response to an RFP issued in February. The scope of services includes: 1) reviewing FMPA’s compensation plan and making recommendations, and 2) reviewing job descriptions to ensure proper job classifications. The study is scheduled to begin in May. Contact: Sharon Adams
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THIS WEEK
General Electric Meeting
David Schumann and Tim Jackson travel to Greenville, South Carolina, on Monday to meet with representatives from General Electric. They will get a firsthand look at some new power generation technologies that have been developed.
Congratulations, Steve Ruppel
Congratulations to Steve Ruppel on his new position as Accountant III/Pool Analyst in the Accounting Department. Steve began his new position Monday and reports to Rick Minch.
Temporary Housing Services RFP
Proposals are due Tuesday in response to FMPA’s Request for Proposal (RFP) for Temporary Housing Services. Following Hurricanes Hermine and Matthew, some Florida residents who sustained storm damage to their residence were unable to find hotel accommodations. As a result, the Florida Division of Emergency Management is asking utilities to evaluate other options for housing line crews. The RFP is available for download at FMPA.com. The Member Services Department will review the responses in the coming weeks. Contact: Sharon Smeenk
Policy Makers Liaisons Committee
The Policy Makers Liaisons Committee meets Wednesday at 1 p.m. in the first floor conference room of FMPA’s Orlando office. The committee will hear five information items: 1) a state legislative update, 2) a presentation about statewide storm preparedness, 3) an update on FMPA’s solar market assessment survey and joint-action solar project, 4) information on the proposed All-Requirements Project load attraction incentive rate, and 5) roundtable discussion by policy makers on the most important electric issues in their communities. Lunch will be served at noon. The full agenda package is available on the Portal. Contact: Mark McCain
Board of Directors
FMPA’s Board of Directors meets Thursday at 9 a.m. in the Board room of FMPA’s Orlando office. The Board will hear eight action items: 1) St. Lucie Project swap diversification exception, 2) revision to the General Manager and CEO and General Counsel evaluation process, 3) written six-month evaluation of the General Manager and CEO, 4) contribution to a promotional item for the APPA National Conference, 5) piggyback provision guidelines for the procurement policy, 6) revised mission, vision and values statements, 7) a lease agreement for an Agency vehicle, and 8) appointment of a Nominating Committee to select Board officers. The full agenda package is available on the Portal. Contact: Jacob Williams
Executive Committee
The Executive Committee meets Thursday in the Board room of FMPA’s Orlando office at 9:30 a.m., or immediately following the Board of Directors. The committee will hear six action items: 1) revised mission, vision and values statements, 2) Conservation Program renewal and funding level for fiscal 2018, 3) proposed load attraction incentive rate rider to rate schedule B-1, 4) a revision to the asset management and operations risk policy, 5) a revision to the fuel portfolio management risk policy previously known as the natural gas and fuel oil risk policy, and 6) piggyback provision guidelines for the procurement policy. The full agenda package is available on the Portal. Contact: Jacob Williams
Florida Lineman Competition
The Florida Municipal Electric Association’s (FMEA) annual Florida Lineman Competition is Friday and Saturday at Tiger Town in Lakeland. The competition begins Friday at 9 a.m. for lineworkers from all over the region to demonstrate their skill, speed and safety performing common lineworker tasks. Events will include a joueyman team competition and an individual competition for apprentices in events such as cross arm brace, phase transfer and vertical hurt-man rescue. More information is available on FMEA’s website.
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 April 16. Contact: Jim Arntz
Special Dates
Congratulations to Amie Erickson, who celebrates 17 years with FMPA on Monday, April 17.
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COMING UP
Business Planning and Budget Committee
The Business Planning and Budget Committee meets April 27 at 9:30 a.m. in FMPA’s Orlando office. Contact: Mark Larson
APPA National Conference
The American Public Power Association’s (APPA) National Conference and Public Power Expo will be held June 16-21 at the Orlando World Center Marriott. This a great opportunity for Florida’s public power community to attend this valuable conference in our home state. Registration and other conference details are available on APPA’s website.
Safety Compliance for Electric Utilities
Registration is open for a course on safety standards for electric utilities. The training is designed for utility workers who would like to have a better understanding of OSHA and NESC working rules for electric power. The course will be held June 28-29 at FMPA’s Orlando office. Tuition is $400 per person, and lunch will be provided both days. The deadline for registration is June 19. Florida Professional Engineers can ea 10 professional devolvement hours for the completion of this course. Contact: Sharon Smeenk
Excellence as a Supervisor Training
FMPA will once again offer the Excellence as a Supervisor Training program. The training program is designed to provide supervisors or prospective supervisors with the skills necessary to be effective leaders. The training consist of two series, with three modules each, spread over four months beginning in July and ending in October. Individuals can choose to attend just the first series or the full training. The first module will be held July 25-26 at FMPA’s Orlando office. Tuition is $1,100 per person, per series and will be invoiced to the member utility. Registration is available on FMPA’s website. Contact: Sharon Smeenk
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INDUSTRY NEWS
Duke Files for Rate Increase
Duke Energy Florida filed a mid-year rate adjustment last Thursday with the Florida Public Service Commission seeking a 5% increase in residential rates effective in July. If approved, residential customers who use 1,000 kilowatt-hours per month would see bills increase $5.99 to a total of $123.23. The increase includes an additional $1.14 for the Asset Securitization Charge. Duke said the increase is needed due mainly to higher fuel prices for natural gas and coal. The proposal is scheduled for a hearing at the commission on June 6.
Environmental Groups Renew Objections to Sabal Pipeline
The Sierra Club and Gulf Restoration Network filed a request to reopen the record for debate in the development of the Sabal Trail Pipeline currently before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. Citing conces of environmental impact, the groups state that the energy industry has not done enough to negate the increase in environmental intrusion. The Sabal Trail project is a 515-mile interstate natural gas pipeline to provide transportation services for power generation needs to Florida Power & Light and Duke Energy Florida by June 2017. The $3.2 billion underground pipeline runs through Alabama, Georgia and into Central Florida.
Tallahassee to Provide Solar Option
The City of Tallahassee has begun construction on a $33.2 million solar farm to provide its customers with an option to receive a percentage of their power from solar. The 20 MW farm located on 120 acres at Tallahassee Inteational Airport is expected to generate 37 million kilowatt-hours of power, or 2% of the city’s current energy production. Customers can sign up for 25%, 50% or 100% of their power from the solar farm. Customers who subscribe would pay a solar farm fee instead of the fuel recovery fee all customers currently pay.
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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 Sean Murtha 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 Sean Murtha