Five-year agreement with FMPA will reduce city’s power costs

ORLANDO, Fla., Jan. 2, 2018 – The City of Bartow is now receiving cheaper wholesale power under new power purchase agreements with the Florida Municipal Power Agency (FMPA) and the Orlando Utilities Commission (OUC). The contracts, which were effective Jan. 1, were approved by Bartow’s City Commission last August.

“FMPA is honored to have the opportunity to deliver low-cost, reliable power to the city of Bartow,” said FMPA General Manager and CEO Jacob Williams. “This partnership is a win-win situation that will save money for the city and its residents.”

OUC will supply Bartow with up to 40 megawatts of electricity. When demand exceeds that amount, such as on a hot afternoon or cold morning, FMPA will supply 20 megawatts, and potentially more, to fulfill the city’s power needs. In 2021 and 2022, Bartow will purchase all of its power from FMPA.

FMPA currently provides all the wholesale power needs for 13 Florida cities, and partial power supply needs for eight cities, including Bartow. Serving the power supply needs of other municipal electric utilities, such as Bartow, is an opportunity for the Agency to optimize its generation resources as part of FMPA’s strategic plan to lower electric costs and to keep rates affordable for its customer-owners.