Winter Park Signs Deal with FMPA for Low-cost Wholesale Electricity

Nine-year agreement beginning January 2019 will reduce city’s bulk power costs

The city of Winter Park will see lower wholesale electric costs for the foreseeable future after city officials negotiated a new power purchase agreement with the Florida Municipal Power Agency (FMPA). Winter Park’s City Commission approved the agreement on Monday, and FMPA’s Executive Committee approved the contract today.

“People need affordable electricity, especially in Florida where air conditioning is so important,” said FMPA General Manager and CEO Jacob Williams. “Winter Park has a great municipal utility with competitive electric rates, and we are honored to help the city and its residents lower its power costs even more.”

The city chose FMPA’s bid in a competitive bidding process that included proposals from six other wholesale power providers. FMPA’s proposal was selected because it provided the lowest cost to the city and its customers.

Beginning Jan. 1, 2019, FMPA will supply 10 megawatts of electricity to Winter Park. This amount will increase in 2020 when FMPA will supply Winter Park’s partial-requirements power needs of approximately 70 megawatts through 2027. One megawatt serves approximately 200 customers.

“Winter Park has a strong working relationship with FMPA on a variety of projects, including the acquisition of 10 megawatts of solar energy,” said Dan D’Alessandro, Electric Utility Department Director. “We are happy to broaden our partnership with FMPA through this wholesale power agreement, which will allow us to continue to provide great rates to our electric customers and to fund the undergrounding of the city’s overhead electric distribution system.”

FMPA currently provides wholesale power to 21 Florida cities. Serving the power supply needs of other municipal electric utilities, such as Winter Park, is an opportunity for the agency to optimize its generation resources to lower costs and keep rates affordable for its customer-owners.