FMPA Weekly
A weekly e-newsletter for FMPA members
May 7, 2018
____________________________________________________
LAST WEEK
Florida Municipal Solar Project
FMPA held an announcement event last Friday for the Florida Municipal Solar Project, a 223.5 MW solar plant that will serve 12 FMPA members beginning in 2020. A total of approximately 900,000 solar panels will be installed on three sites in Osceola and Orange counties. More than 80 people attended the event held at the Florida Solar Energy Center in Cocoa. The signing ceremony drew good media attention, including all four Orlando television stations. The 12 participating cities have been provided with communication tools to help tell the solar story back in their communities. The ceremony is available for viewing on FMPA’s Facebook page. Contact: Jacob Williams
Cane Island Power Park
Cane Island Unit 3 was taken offline Sunday for a planned maintenance outage. Contact: David Schumann
____________________________________________________
THIS WEEK
7F Users Conference
David Schumann and Tim Jackson are in Atlanta to attend a conference for utilities that utilize the GE 7F gas turbine. The forum brings together owners and operators of 7Fs to lea about new technologies and best practices. This technology is used in three major All-Requirements Project generating units, including Cane Island Units 3 and 4 and Treasure Coast Unit 1. The plant managers from Cane Island Power Park and Treasure Coast Energy Center will also attend.
Hurricane and Emergency Preparedness Forum
FMPA and the Florida Municipal Electric Association (FMEA) will co-host a hurricane and emergency preparedness forum Tuesday from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Florida Hotel and Conference Center in Orlando. Discussion topics will include legislative and statewide updates, mutual aid best practices and restoration operations. More information is available on FMEA’s website. Contact: Sharon Smeenk
Tabletop Storm Drill
FMPA and the Florida Municipal Power Pool will conduct a tabletop storm drill Wednesday at Orlando Utilities Commission’s operations building. All-Requirements Project members are invited to attend. The drill is intended for lead or supervisory control room staff who are in lead roles during major restoration events at ARP member cities. Contact: Frank Gaffney
ARP Rate Workshop
The ARP Executive Committee meets Wednesday at 2 p.m. via conference call for the monthly All-Requirements Project Rate Workshop. The agenda includes: 1) natural gas markets update, 2) overview of April loads, 3) resource update for April, and 4) review of April ARP rate calculation. Contact: Jason Wolfe
Energy Auditors Roundtable
FMPA hosts an Energy Auditors Roundtable on Thursday at 10 a.m. in Lakeland. The roundtable provides a forum for participants to discuss energy-audit topics, such as work procedures, policies, practices, industry changes, equipment, materials and more. 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 May 6. Contact: Jim Arntz
Special Dates
Congratulations to Lindsay Lister, who celebrates 12 years with FMPA on Tuesday, May 8.
____________________________________________________
COMING UP
Lineman Roundtable
Thursday is the last day to register for the FMPA Linemen’s Roundtable scheduled for May 15 at 10 a.m. in New Smya Beach. The roundtable provides a forum for crews to exchange ideas on operating practices, safety, training, tools and other common issues. The roundtable is open to all levels of utility line crews and any utility staff member who has an interest. Registration is free, and lunch will be provided. Contact: Sharon Smeenk
Budget Committee
FMPA’s Business Planning and Budget Committee will meet May 16 at 1 p.m. via conference call. Contact: Rich Popp
FMPA Goveing Board Meetings
FMPA’s governing board meetings are scheduled for May 17 in the Orlando office. The Audit and Risk Oversight Committee (AROC) will meet at 8:30 a.m. The Board of Directors will meet at 9 a.m. or immediately after AROC. The Executive Committee will meet at 9:30 a.m. or immediately after the Board. Contact: Jacob Williams
FMEA Annual Conference
Registration is open for the Florida Municipal Electric Association’s (FMEA) Annual Conference scheduled for July 17-19 at The Breakers in West Palm Beach. The conference includes the annual FMPA Board of Directors luncheon and other FMPA governing board meetings.
____________________________________________________
INDUSTRY NEWS
Jacksonville Mayor: No Plan to Sell JEA
Jacksonville’s mayor says he will not submit a plan to the city council to privatize JEA. Mayor Lenny Curry issued a written statement April 26 saying that it was important to know the value of JEA’s assets and that the city has an obligation to preserve them. Interim CEO Aaron Zahn appeared before the Jacksonville City Council Special Committee on the Future of JEA on the same day to unveil a new management structure while a search for a permanent CEO is underway. Melissa Dykes, JEA’s current CFO, will become president and chief operating officer, while Ryan Wannemacher will serve as interim CFO.
Judge Rules Outage Lawsuit Can Move Forward
A circuit judge in Miami-Dade County ruled last Tuesday that a class-action lawsuit against Florida Power & Light (FPL) can move forward, despite the utility’s motion to dismiss. Lawyers for the group of Miami residents say in the lawsuit that FPL misspent more than $3 billion collected from customers after Hurricane Wilma to harden the power grid, leading to more outages during Hurricane Irma. In FPL’s motion, its lawyers argued that they were upfront in saying that their hardening efforts would not completely eliminate outages. The judge gave FPL 20 days to respond to the suit.
Florida Utilities Receive Reliability Award
Three Florida municipal electric utilities received the American Public Power Association’s (APPA) Reliable Public Power Provider (RP3) designation for providing customers with the highest degree of reliable and safe electric service. Recipients included Fort Pierce Utilities Authority, Kissimmee Utility Authority and the City of Tallahassee. Utilities hold the designation for three years. The RP3 award requires demonstration of proficiency in four key disciplines: reliability, safety, work force development and system improvement. A list of all winners is posted on APPA’s website.
Florida Lineworkers Awarded at National Rodeo
Lineworkers from five Florida electric utilities won awards at the American Public Power Association’s (APPA) annual Public Power Lineworkers Rodeo held April 27-28 in Raleigh/Wake Forest, North Carolina. Among the winners were teams and individuals from Gainesville Regional Utilities, JEA, Kissimmee Utility Authority, Ocala Utility Services and the City of Tallahassee. The awards honor lineworkers’ expertise, and the events are judged based upon safety, work practices, neatness, ability, equipment handling and timely event completion. A complete list of winners is posted on APPA’s website.
___________________________________________________
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 Ryan Dumas 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: Ryan Dumas