Electric utilities celebrate the benefits of owning their wholesale power system

ORLANDO, Fla., May 1, 2013 – Municipal electric utilities in Florida can be more effective by working together to jointly plan and own their wholesale power system thanks to a project that was formed 27 years ago today.

Five cities worked through the Florida Municipal Power Agency to create the All-Requirements Project on May 1, 1986. The All-Requirements Project enables its member communities to become owners—not just customers—of a diverse, statewide power system.

The All-Requirements Project was originally founded to serve five cities with a peak demand of 325 megawatts, but the project’s success attracted more members. Today, it supplies more than 1,300 megawatts to 14 cities throughout Florida from the panhandle to Key West. The Project is one of the largest municipal electric systems in Florida and in the United States.

“When locally owned utilities work together, they have greater resources and a stronger voice to serve their citizens,” said FMPA General Manager and CEO Nicholas P. Guarriello. “Through the years, the All-Requirements Project has proven to be a great benefit to its members and other municipal electric utilities throughout Florida.”

Working together through All-Requirements support the home power advantages of locally owned utilities:

• Reliability: Rather than depending on a few smaller power plants, FMPA’s members are owners, not customers, of a statewide network of generators. The All-Requirements Project has invested in state-of-the-art technology to support reliability on its system.

• Community Investment: Municipal electric utilities work for Main Street, not Wall Street, so they are focused on keeping power costs low. Wholesale power supply is the largest part of consumers’ bills, so customers benefit when All-Requirements members work together for greater efficiency and lower costs. The All-Requirements Project’s wholesale power costs decreased 23% since 2009.

• Service: Municipal electric utilities are known for great service because they are close to their customers and know what they need. In the same way, FMPA is committed to serving its members and providing resources that help them be as effective as possible.

• Accountability: Locally owned electric utilities believe in giving customers a voice, and that voice is even stronger when utilities work together. Through the years, FMPA’s All-Requirements members have been champions for their citizens and for their fellow municipal utilities in regulatory and legislative forums.

To learn more about the history of the Florida Municipal Power Agency through a series of three brief videos, visit FMPA’s website now.

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Florida Municipal Power Agency (FMPA) is a wholesale power company owned by 31 municipal electric utilities. FMPA provides economies of scale in power generation and related services to support community-owned electric utilities. The members of FMPA serve approximately two million Floridians.