PPS Honored for Safety and Reliability - Paducah...
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PPS Honored for Safety and Reliability Paducah Power System recently received first place in the Electric Utility Safety Awards for utilities with a similar number of work hours. More than 280 utilities entered the annual safety contest which is sponsored by the American Public Power Association (APPA). Winners are selected according to the number of hours worked without injuries. In 2013 PPS achieved its best ever safety record with no incidents that resulted in lost work hours. Michael Hyland, Senior Vice President of Engineering Services for APPA said to Paducah Power managers, “A record such as yours is indicative of high standards in the workplace and is vital to safe and productive utility operations.” The APPA has also awarded Paducah Power System with one of its highest honors for reliability. At an APPA conference in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma this month, PPS received the Reliable Public Power Provider (RP3®) gold designation. The Association gives the award to utilities that provide customers with an exceptionally high degree of reliable electric service. To earn the award public utilities must demonstrate proficiency in four key areas: reliability, safety, training and system improvement. This is the fifth time PPS has earned an RP3® designation. Safety is an important part of Paducah Power’s work practices. Linemen annually train for pole top rescue. Employees attend weekly safety meetings, linemen discuss safety issues prior to each job and every two years all employees are certified in CPR and the use of Automated External Defibrillators. In 2013, all PPS employees also received fire extinguisher training. Paducah Power uses random drugs tests each month to ensure a drug free workplace. If you are having trouble paying your bill , contact our customer service department at 270-575-4000 as soon as possible to discuss payment options and get details on your power consumption. Pole Top Rescue Training Fire Safety Training Follow us on Facebook and Twitter! “Focusing Our Energy on Our Customers” April 2014 Paducah Power System
Transcript of PPS Honored for Safety and Reliability - Paducah...
PPS Honored for Safety and ReliabilityPaducah Power System recently received
first place in the Electric Utility Safety Awards for utilities with a similar number of work hours. More than 280 utilities entered the annual safety contest which is sponsored by the American Public Power Association (APPA). Winners are selected according to the number of hours worked without injuries.
In 2013 PPS achieved its best ever safety record with no incidents that resulted in lost work hours. Michael Hyland, Senior Vice President of Engineering Services for APPA said to Paducah Power managers, “A record such as yours is indicative of high standards in the workplace and is vital to safe and productive utility operations.”
The APPA has also awarded Paducah Power System with one of its highest honors for reliability. At an APPA conference in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma this month, PPS received the Reliable Public Power Provider (RP3®) gold designation. The Association gives the award to utilities that provide customers with an exceptionally high degree of reliable electric service. To earn the award public utilities must demonstrate proficiency in four key areas: reliability, safety, training and system improvement. This is the fifth time PPS has earned an RP3® designation.
Safety is an important part of Paducah Power’s work practices. Linemen annually train for pole top rescue. Employees attend weekly safety meetings, linemen discuss safety issues prior to each job and every two years all employees are certified in CPR and the use of Automated External Defibrillators. In 2013, all PPS employees also received fire extinguisher training. Paducah Power uses random drugs tests each month to ensure a drug free workplace.
If you are having trouble paying your bill, contact our customer service department at 270-575-4000 as soon as possible to discuss payment options and get details on your power consumption.
Pole Top Rescue Training
Fire Safety TrainingFollow us on Facebook and Twitter!
“Focusing Our Energy on Our Customers”
April 2014
PaducahPower System
PaducahPower System
Owned by the People of Paducah
phone: 270.575.4000paducahpower.com
Ray McLennanChairman
Hardy RobertsVice Chair
Roger TruittSecretary/Treasurer
Jeff PedersonMember
Adolphus Jones, Jr.Member
board of directors
David R. ClarkGeneral Manager [email protected]
David C. CarrollDirector of Finance & Administration [email protected]
Rick WindhorstDirector of Engineering & Operations [email protected]
Andrea UnderwoodDirector of Community Relations & Marketing [email protected]
staff
As I See It by David R. Clark, General Manager
Paducah Power System is called upon year round to assist in industrial recruitment. With the announcement last year of the shutdown of the DOE Enrichment Plant, we began looking for ways to boost efforts to lure new industries and jobs to our service area. In January, the board, after considerable study, approved incentive rates for very large commercial and industrial customers, a move that was possible because of our participation in the Prairie State Energy Campus (PSEC).
When we invested in the PSEC, we purchased extra capacity to accommodate future growth within our system. We have been liquidating this excess capacity into the wholesale power markets at fairly low prices but would rather sell it to new industry in our service area. By creating these incentive rates, we can offer below market, industrial and large commercial rates that can help grow our local economy and bring in nearly twice the revenue that we’ve been receiving from that power. This move benefits all rate payers on the Paducah Power System by bringing in excess revenue that we could not get in the wholesale power markets.
The incentive rates cover new or expanding industry here in our service area. They are good for five years, and the price will not change during that period. Our local economic development folks tell us that these new rates will be a great help in attracting new industries to the PPS service area.
We believe that our service area and the citizens of Paducah and McCracken County will reap the benefits of having more employment opportunities brought about by these incentive rates, as well as the presence of PPS’s fiber based large bandwidth internet pipes that industry and commercial businesses look for. Paducah Power will continue to look for ways to prosper our community while working to hold down costs for all our consumers.
AC MaintenanceApril is a good time for air conditioner maintenance. The outdoor
condenser coil on most central units should be washed and cleaned of leaves and other debris. Some blower motors also need occasional oiling. Filters should be checked monthly and changed or cleaned to remove dust which blocks air flow and drives up cooling costs.
April 20142
Answering Your Questions about the PCA charge on your bill.
Thomasson Promoted
What is the PCA?Following the recommendations of a rate study by
consultants Black and Veatch, the Paducah Electric Plant Board last April voted to implement new rates which included a Power Cost Adjustment (PCA) that was to be applied to bills beginning in the final quarter of 2013. The PCA, commonly used by electric utilities, rises or falls, based on the fluctuations associated with buying wholesale power. It allows PPS to make sure it collects enough money to pay for the cost of wholesale power without constantly changing our base rates. Paducah Power’s PCA is reviewed and adjusted quarterly, based upon power costs in the previous months. It can be “zero”, having no effect on customers’ bills or it can rise or fall, raising or lowering customers’ bills accordingly.
November 1st, 2013, the PCA went from zero to .008 cents per kilowatt hour. The newly calculated PCA, which began February 1st, currently amounts to .0359 cents per kilowatt hour.
Why did the PCA increase so much February 1st?The PCA is tied directly to the performance of the
Prairie State Generating Plant which provides us with power. The better it operates, the lower our PCA goes.
PPS Serviceman Brian Thomasson was recently promoted to the position of Operations Superintendent/Safety Director. He will replace Jim Langston who is retiring at the end of May. Thomasson came to Paducah Power in 1999. Since then he has served as a lineman, working foreman and serviceman. As Operations Superintendent, he will supervise all line crews and head the company safety program.
The plant is new and still in its shakedown phase. During the last several months the plant did not perform as well as expected due to mechanical issues that had to be corrected. PPS had to buy power on the open market and still pay the debt service on the portion of the plant that we own, making our power costs considerably higher than we anticipated. The PCA rose to recoup those extra costs. It was not an attempt to price gouge our customers. It was to pay for costs already incurred.
What will the PCA be in the coming months?On May 1st, it will either stay the same or change to
reflect power costs during the first quarter of this year. (That was not yet determined when this newsletter went to press.) PPS is aggressively working with the other owners of Prairie State to get the plant operating at maximum reliability levels and to bring the PCA down as quickly as possible. Our goal remains the same as it was when we chose to leave TVA and invest in Prairie State-to provide our customers with a secure energy future that is extremely reliable and reasonably priced.
For more information on the PCA, go to www.paducahpower.com
and click on the video link.
Get Cash for Your Old Water Heater
Paducah Power System pays its customers an incentive for replacing old water heaters. If you replace your gas water heater with an energy efficient electric water heater, you can receive $100. You can get $50 for replacing your old electric water heater with another electric unit. The new water heater must be 4500 watt, double element, quick-recovery with a minimum 5 year warranty for tank leaks. To apply, you must
provide PPS with a valid receipt for the water heater from a local supplier or plumber.
You may also finance a new water heater through Paducah Power System. Qualified customers may spread the payments over a three month period and attach the payment to their PPS bill. To apply for either program, contact Julie Colvis at 270-575-4032.
Brian Thomasson
EnErgy edition 3
Please submitany questions,concerns, orcomments youwish to haveaddressed.
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Loaded Deviled Eggs
Place eggs into a large pot and cover with lightly salted water. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to medium; boil eggs for 10 to 12 minutes. Drain the boiling water and fill pot with cold water. When eggs are fully chilled, 10 to 15 minutes, peel eggs. Heat butter in a small skillet over medium heat, cook and stir onion until translucent, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool. Slice eggs in half lengthwise and scoop yolks into a bowl; transfer egg white halves to a plate. Mash egg yolks with a fork; stir in sour cream, mayonnaise, ranch dressing, Dijon mustard, garlic powder, onion powder, and lemon pepper seasoning until yolk mixture is smooth. Stir in bacon bits and Cheddar cheese. Generously fill egg halves with filling and sprinkle each deviled egg with paprika. Refrigerate until chilled before serving.
• 12 eggs• 1 tbsp butter• 4 green onions, chopped• 1/4 cup sour cream• 2 tbsp mayonnaise• 1 tbsp Ranch dressing (or to taste)• 1 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder• Pinch of onion powder• 1/8 tsp lemon pepper seasoning• 1 tbsp bacon bits (or to taste)• 1 cup finely shredded Cheddar
cheese• Paprika to taste
May Tree Trimming:
Northside, Cairo Road
April Service Anniversaries
Diane Hargrove 1999Jamie Bell 2000Chris Gapske 2007Brian Cathey 2010Ryan Shepherd 2012
To report an outage call
270-575-4010
RECIPE
April 20144
