FMPA Weekly
A weekly e-newsletter for FMPA members
Feb. 4, 2019
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LAST WEEK
Strategic Planning Agenda Package
Background material for FMPA’s 2019 Strategic Planning Session was emailed last Thursday to the Board of Directors, Executive Committee and other interested parties. The information package was also posted on the Portal in the Agenda Package section. The planning session will be held Feb. 13 at 9 a.m. in FMPA’s Orlando office. All members are encouraged to participate in this important process. Contact: Jacob Williams
FERC Filing
FMPA filed a complaint at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) last Wednesday against Duke Energy Florida. FMPA requests that FERC find Duke has violated its Open Access Transmission Tariff by rejecting requests for transmission service submitted by FMPA and its members for deliveries from the Poinsett Solar Facility, a proposed 74.5 MW solar farm to be located in Osceola County and interconnected with Duke’s transmission system. Duke contends that it must reject those transmission service requests until after a generator interconnection agreement has been executed for the Poinsett facility. FMPA’s filing cites several reasons why this is not the case, and contrary to FERC rules. FMPA was reluctant to file the complaint because it has had good relations with Duke. However, given the fundamental open access issues and the potential harm to FMPA and its members, FMPA decided to seek FERC’s assistance in resolving this matter. Contact: Dan O’Hagan
Employee Climate Survey
A survey on the working climate at FMPA was sent to employees last Thursday. The survey will support the management goal of supporting employee satisfaction and retention. The survey is being conducted by an outside firm, Culture Amp, and the individual responses are confidential. Overall results will be shared with the Board of Directors in March. Contact: Sharon Adams
Behind the Switch Campaign
FMPA launched a social-media campaign last Friday called “Behind the Switch” to give people a behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to make electricity low-cost, reliable and clean for millions of Floridians. The campaign features a series of short videos, photos and graphics that will be posted several times per week on FMPA’s Facebook and Twitter pages throughout February. Showcased in the campaign are power plant staff at Cane Island Power Park, Treasure Coast Energy Center and Stock Island Generating Facility. Contact: Mark McCain
Women on the Move Nomination
Linda Howard was nominated last week for ONYX Magazine’s Women on the Move award. Winners will be announced at a ceremony in Winter Park on March 1. This award is given to women who make significant strides in their communities and professions. It will recognize and honor women across Florida who excel in business, government, nonprofits, education and the private sector.
All-Requirements Project January Load Statistics
The All-Requirements Project’s non-Contract Rate of Delivery peak for January was 931 MW, which occurred Jan. 29 between 7 a.m. and 8 a.m. The project’s load factor for January was 65%. Load factor is a ratio of actual energy (MWh) used during the period versus what would have been consumed if demand was at peak for the entire period. A higher load factor indicates more effective system utilization and results in lower average costs. The monthly peak was 84% of the budgeted peak, and energy was 96% of the budget. A graph showing the All-Requirements Project hourly load for January is available on the Portal. Contact: Jim Arntz
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THIS WEEK
Welcome, Chris Schaeffer and Maria Veiga
Two new staff members join FMPA on Monday. Chris Schaeffer will be a Senior Electrical Engineer reporting to Carl Turner. Chris has a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the University of Maryland. He previously worked as a Lead Engineer at Duke Energy. Maria Veiga joins as Human Resources Specialist reporting to Sharon Adams. Maria has a bachelor’s degree in organizational management from Palm Beach Atlantic University. She previously worked as an Employee Relations Manager at Keiser University and has a wide variety of experience in HR roles.
Substation Awareness Basics
FMPA holds a Substation Awareness Basics training class Tuesday and Wednesday at Orlando Utilities Commission’s Engineering Building in Orlando. The two-day session will provide participants with in-depth instruction on substation-related topics and will be tailored to the specific equipment of the attendees’ utilities, where possible. Contact: Sharon Samuels
FMPP Seminar
The Florida Municipal Power Pool (FMPP) will host its annual seminar Tuesday at OUC’s Windermere Pines. The seminar will cover a wide variety of topics, including generation, renewables, reliability, security, fuels, NERC standards and more. Presentations on the CHP Transition Project and Hurricane Michael Mutual Aid will be part of the seminar. Attendees will include representatives from FMPA, Lakeland and Orlando Utilities Commission. Contact: Joe McKinney
Member City Visits
Jacob Williams, Chris Gowder and Susan Schumann travel to New Smyrna Beach on Wednesday to meet with staff from the Utilities Commission of New Smyrna Beach about phase two for the Florida Municipal Solar Project. Mike McCleary also travels to New Smyrna Beach on Wednesday to discuss emergency preparedness and storm planning. Jacob travels to Chattahoochee on Friday for a member city visit.
Future of Power Webinar
Jacob Williams will present a webinar titled “The Future of Power” on Thursday at 2 p.m. hosted by the Florida City and County Management Association (FCCMA). Jacob will talk about emerging issues in the electric utility industry and what they mean for Florida’s cities and counties. The webinar is free for FCCMA members. Information on how to access the webinar is available on FCCMA’s website. Contact: Susan Schumann
Tallahassee Meetings
Jacob Williams and Susan Schumann travel to Tallahassee on Friday to meet with Mark Wilson, Florida Chamber of Commerce CEO and other Chamber staff members. Jacob will then participate in the Chamber’s Bottom Line Series, a video interview available to Chamber members.
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COMING UP
Regional Crew Leader Roundtables
Foreman and crew leaders are encouraged to register now for the first of FMPA’s semi-annual Regional Crew Leader Roundtables for 2019. Roundtables will be held in Homestead on Feb. 12, New Smyrna Beach on Feb. 13 and Bushnell on Feb. 14. The roundtables are great opportunities for transmission and distribution staff members to network with peers from neighboring utilities. Attendance is free, and lunch will be provided. Contact: Mike McCleary
Strategic Planning Session
FMPA’s Board of Directors and Executive Committee will hold a strategic planning session Feb. 13 at 9 a.m. at FMPA’s Orlando office. The session will identify the top strategic priorities for FMPA in the coming years. Contact: Jacob Williams
February Governing Board Meetings
FMPA’s governing boards will meet Feb. 14 in Orlando beginning with the Audit and Risk Oversight Committee at 8:30 a.m., Board of Directors at 8:45 a.m. and Executive Committee at 9:15 a.m. The start times for the Board and Executive Committee have changed to reflect the anticipated agendas. Contact: Jacob Williams
Florida Lineman Competition
Registration is open for the Florida Municipal Electric Association’s Florida Lineman Competition scheduled for March 1-2 in Gainesville. Teams and apprentices from across the Southeast will test their skills and knowledge in the craft of line work. FMPA is a sponsor of the event and will provide the top prize to help pay for the winners to attend a national competition.
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INDUSTRY NEWS
FPL Opens Four New Solar Projects
Florida Power & Light (FPL) began operating four new solar power facilities last week. Each project can generate 74.5 MW for a total of nearly 300 MW. FPL now operates 18 major solar projects and hundreds of smaller solar installations totaling approximately 1,250 MW in Florida. The newest additions are in the counties of St. Lucie, Miami-Dade, Volusia and Columbia.
NextEra Bid to Purchase Santee Cooper
NextEra, parent company of Florida Power & Light, confirmed Jan. 25 that it submitted a bid to purchase Santee Cooper, the state-owned electric utility in South Carolina. Duke Energy previously confirmed that it submitted a bid. A committee of the South Carolina General Assembly agreed to hire a global consulting firm to review the non-binding bids. If the legislature decides to sell Santee Cooper, it will have to pass a law to do so.
FPL Asks Permission to Install Generators for Customers
Florida Power & Light (FPL) asked the Florida Public Service Commission (PSC) last Thursday for permission to install and maintain backup generators for customers. Under the proposed three-year pilot program, FPL would own the generators and charge customers a monthly fee.
Duke to Pay Record Fine for Violations of Security Standards
Duke Energy Corp. agreed to pay a record $10 million fine to settle 127 violations of security standards meant to protect the electric grid from significant outages, as first reported last Friday by Energywire. The North American Electric Reliability Corp. (NERC), which sets and enforces grid security rules, said utilities that sources identified as being owned by the Charlotte, N.C.-based electric power holding company committed the alleged physical and cybersecurity violations over four years. The fine is more than triple the previous record for NERC security violations. None of the security problems reported to NERC or discovered during routine audits resulted in a power outage, grid authorities reported. But in several instances, improper patching, poor handling of “transient” electronic devices, like laptops, and other mishaps could have exposed critical grid networks to hackers or physical intruders.
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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 Jeff Grainger or Carolyn Dingley 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 Carolyn Dingley
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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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