FMPA Weekly
A weekly e-newsletter for FMPA members
Jan. 23, 2017
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LAST WEEK
Highly Protected Risk Designation
Stock Island Generation Facility eaed the Highly Protected Risk (HPR) designation from FM Global, FMPA’s property insurance provider. The plant eaed this designation because all possible tools and processes have been put in place to reduce exposure to loss and manage risk. As a result of the award, FMPA will be eligible for lower rates, lower deductibles and better insurance coverage from FM Global when policies are renewed in May. Contact: Rich Popp
Solar Market Research
GreatBlue Research completed the surveys last Monday for the solar PV project. In all, more than 46,000 calls were made to complete 2,800 surveys in 10 member cities. Each call lasted an average of just under 12 minutes. A draft report on the survey results will be presented to the Market Research Task Force on Feb. 1, and the final report will be presented to the Board of Directors on Feb. 16. Contact: Sharon Smeenk
Annual Audited Financial Report
The Annual Audited Financial Report for fiscal 2016 was approved last Thursday by the Audit and Risk Oversight Committee, Board of Directors and Executive Committee. The independent auditors, Purvis, Gray and Company, issued an unqualified opinion. The full report is posted on the Portal. Contact: Mark Larson
Audit and Risk Oversight Committee
FMPA’s Audit and Risk Oversight Committee (AROC) met last Thursday and approved the annual risk inventory update. In other business, the committee provided feedback on adding piggyback provisions to FMPA’s Procurement Policy and decided to table the amended policy until the next AROC meeting. Contact: Rich Popp
Social Media
FMPA live-tweeted highlights from last Thursday’s Board of Directors meeting, a first for the Agency since launching social media channels earlier this month. During the past week, FMPA also shared a photo from the Policy Makers Liaisons Committee meeting, congratulated the Florida Municipal Electric Association on its 75th anniversary, and posted a reminder that wildlife is a common cause of power outages on Squirrel Appreciation Day. On Facebook, FMPA is listed as the Florida Municipal Power Agency and the Twitter handle is @FMPAnews. To help FMPA increase its social media audience, any individuals or member utilities active on social media are encouraged to follow and share FMPA’s content. Contact: Mark McCain
RFP for Housing Out-of-Area Utility Workers
FMPA has begun developing a Request for Proposal (RFP) for housing out-of-area utility workers in the event they are needed for storm restoration. Following Hurricanes Hermine and Matthew, some 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. FMPA will issue an RFP for Temporary Housing Services on behalf of FMPA members. The RFP will not obligate any member to use the services. Members are asked to provide input to Sharon Smeenk on what should be included in the RFP.
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THIS WEEK
TAPS Hill Visit
Mark McCain travels to Washington, D.C., on Monday and Tuesday to visit lawmakers as part of the Transmission Access Policy Study Group’s (TAPS) semi-annual Hill visits. TAPS is an association of transmission-dependent electric utilities, and FMPA is a member. While at the capitol, Mark will visit the offices of new members of the Florida delegation to prepare for the American Public Power Association’s Legislative Rally next month.
Member Service Visit
Sharon Smeenk travels to Starke on Tuesday for a member service visit with City Clerk Ricky Thompson.
Distribution Services and Lineworker Staffing Roundtable
A roundtable meeting to discuss Distribution Services and Lineworker Staffing will be held Wednesday at 10 a.m. in FMPA’s Orlando office. Forty people are registered to attend from 17 different utilities. The roundtable is being held in response to member conces about recruiting and retaining electric utility staff, as well as the related issues with distribution system management. The objective of the roundtable is to share ideas and explore ways municipal utilities might work together to address these important challenges that impact a vital part of operating an electric system. Utilities are encouraged to participate by phone if they are not able to attend in person. Contact: Sharon Smeenk
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 Jan. 22. Contact: Jim Arntz
Special Dates
Congratulations to Jeff Grainger, who celebrates one year with FMPA on Wednesday, Jan. 25.
Congratulations to Susan Schumann, who celebrates 19 years with FMPA on Thursday, Jan. 26.
Congratulations to Frank Gaffney, who celebrates seven years with FMPA on Saturday, Jan. 28.
Congratulations to Jim Arntz, who celebrates nine years with FMPA on Sunday, Jan. 29.
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COMING UP
CAPE Software and Transmission Training
FMPA will hold a training session for Computer-Aided Protection Engineering (CAPE) software as well as transmission line protection schemes and philosophies on Feb. 27 at FMPA’s Orlando office. The training is open to staff from any member utility. Attendance is free, and lunch will be provided. Contact: Carl Turner
Florida Lineman Competition
Registration is open for the 2017 Florida Lineman Competition to be held April 21-22 at Tiger Town in Lakeland. The competition is for lineworkers from all over the region to demonstrate their skills. Joueyman and apprentices can compete for professional recognition, attend training courses and practice essential skills in a safe environment. Competition and registration information is available on the Florida Municipal Electric Association’s website.
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INDUSTRY NEWS
FMEA Celebrates 75th Anniversary
The Florida Municipal Electric Association (FMEA) began celebrating its 75th anniversary last week. FMEA was established in 1942 in response to fuel shortages created by World War II. The Association serves 34 public power utilities in Florida that provide power to more than three million residential and business customers. Collectively, they are the third largest source of power in the state. FMEA advocates for member utilities’ interests on state and federal issues.
Sierra Club to Challenge FPL’s Rate Increase in Florida Supreme Court
The Sierra Club filed a notice last Tuesday of its intent to challenge Florida Power & Light’s (FPL) base-rate increase at the Florida Supreme Court. In the notice, the environmental organization stated it will argue that FPL failed to explore other options, such as solar energy or energy efficiency programs, prior to developing plans to build new natural gas-fired power plants. They also contend that the Florida Public Service Commission (PSC) failed to provide adequate oversight. The PSC approved an $811 million rate increase for FPL in November.
Duke, Justice Department Settle Antitrust Case
Duke Energy agreed to pay $600,000 as part of a settlement last week with the Justice Department. The settlement stemmed from an antitrust case following Duke’s purchase of the Osprey Energy Center in Aubudale. The Justice Department said that Duke effectively took control of the plant without observing a waiting period to allow for antitrust review. Duke did not admit wrongdoing under the settlement, which must still be approved by a federal court.
Tampa Electric Completes Polk Power Plant Expansion
Tampa Electric Co. finished a $660 million expansion project last Monday at its Polk County power plant. The project at Polk Power Station expanded the plant’s generating capacity by 460 MW and included 40 miles of transmission lines. The expansion converted four existing simple-cycle natural gas units to a more efficient combined-cycle unit. Along with meeting customer demand, Tampa Electric said the project will allow it to replace power purchase agreements that expired.
First-Ever Small Modular Reactor Design Submitted for Certification
The first-ever design application for a small modular reactor (SMR) was submitted last week by NuScale Power to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). The NRC is expected to take two months to determine if any additional information is needed beyond what was included in the nearly 12,000-page application. The design certification process is expected to take 40 months. The first commercial SMR is planned for construction at the Idaho National Laboratory.
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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 learn more.
Have a question, comment or story idea for the newsletter? FMPA welcomes your feedback at any time. Contact: Jeff Grainger or Sean Murtha
Florida Municipal Power Agency
8553 Commodity Circle
Orlando, FL 32819-9002
Tel 407 355-7767
Fax 407 355-5794
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