TRI-COUNTY ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE
Rural Living
Reliable. Resilient. Ready. See page 6-7
Seminole Combined Cycle Facility Update pg. 4 January & February 2022 Vol. 29 • No. 1
TRI-COUNTY ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE
Rural Living Vol. XXIX No. I January & February 2022
Board of Trustees
Bobby Dodd
Donnie Waldrep
Catherine Bethea
District 2
District 3
District 5
President
Vice President
Secretary/Treasurer
Junior Smith
George Webb
Ann Herring
Benny Bishop
Johnny Edwards
Elmer Coker
District 1
District 7
District 4
District 8
District 6
District 9
TCEC Staff
Julius Hackett, Chief Executive Officer Jeff Brewer, Vice President of Engineering Eileen Herndon, Vice President of Corporate Service John Tuten, Vice President of Operations Wendell Williams, Vice President of Finance Tri-County Electric Cooperative Rural Living, the voice of your member-owned electric cooperative, is published bimonthly — more if necessary — at no subscription cost to the membership. The publication team is comprised of TCEC employees. Postage is paid at Tallahassee, Fla.
Publication Team
Julius Hackett, Chief Executive Officer Eileen Herndon, Vice President of Corporate Service Kaitlynn Culpepper, Community Relations Director
Publisher
Joanna Forrester Printed on Responsibly Forested Paper Tri-County Electric Cooperative 2862 West US 90 Madison, FL 32340 www.tcec.com 1-800-999-2285
A Balanced Fuel Mix Promotes Power Reliability The energy industry is undergoing a dramatic transformation as consumer demand for more renewable energy sources grows, and innovation and technology continue to advance exponentially. You’re likely witnessing this energy evolution first-hand.
In driving across the region, you may have noticed fields of solar panels owned by local utilities, along with an increase in solar panels on your neighbors’ roofs. Maybe you’ve heard about the impending changes in the transportation sector with most major vehicle companies announcing plans to offer more electric vehicles at more affordable prices. At Tri-County Electric Cooperative (TCEC), we have always put the good of our community first. While our primary function is to provide reliable and affordable energy to our members, we are more than an electricity provider. Because we are a co-op, our mission is to enrich the lives of our members and to serve the long-term interests of our community. We feel we’re doing both by investing in renewable energy sources. Green energy is certainly not new. Solar, wind and hydro power have been around for decades. However, the recent innovations and advances in renewable technology have led to sharp decreases in cost, making it more feasible and accessible. In recent years, TCEC has been able to adjust our fuel mix by utilizing more renewables. However, to borrow a nautical analogy, it takes a long time to turn the direction of a large ship––and changing the energy mix we use to power homes and businesses doesn’t happen overnight. While renewable energy use is increasing, we will still depend on traditional forms of energy to keep power flowing reliably to your home. After all, solar and wind energy
Julius Hackett, CEO are referred to as “intermittent” power since the sun does not always shine and the wind does not always blow. This fact coupled with the growing demand for renewables creates its own challenges. That’s why there is real value in maintaining a balanced mixture of fuel types to ensure reliability, resiliency and meet the growing demand for electricity. As the energy industry continues to evolve, TCEC is striving to take advantage of technology advances and market opportunities as they become available. This means we can leverage the flexibility of the grid to offer a wider range of renewable power selections as we continue to bring safe, reliable and affordable power to our community. Albert Einstein once observed that, “Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving.” In order for your cooperative to meet the growing demand for renewable energy and ensure the reliability of our power supply, we must constantly make operational adjustments as we strive for balance and a brighter future for our members.
Board Meetings The regular monthly meeting of the Board of Trustees of Tri-County Electric Cooperative, Inc. will be held the second Monday of each month at 3:00 p.m. in the central office building of the Cooperative located at 2862 West US 90, approximately two miles west of the City of Madison.
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January & February 2022
New Voices
on the Radio
Two new team members have joined the TCEC Dispatch Team as System Operators. System Operators are the voice on the other end of the line, not only for TCEC members calling after hours but also for our linemen, right-of-way crew, and engineers in the field.
Reggie Daniels
Shelby Barritt,
re-joined the dispatch team at TCEC full time in late November. Reggie has several years of previous experience in TCEC dispatch. His favorite part of being back at TCEC so far, is the opportunity to assist the members with their various needs. Before starting at TCEC, Reggie worked with the City of Tallahassee Utilities, Tallahassee Community College and Career Source North Florida.
part-time System Operator, joined the Dispatch Team in October and has embraced her new responsibilities in customer service and outage restoration efforts. The family atmosphere at TCEC is what she likes the most about working at the cooperative. Shelby is looking forward to learning and growing in her new career. She and her fiancé have two sons (one & three) and enjoy spending quality time together.
In his free time, he enjoys traveling and spending time with his family; including his wife Lisa, and three children. He also likes watching nature related TV shows.
Welcome Casey Tuten joins the cooperative team as our new General Laborer. His duties
include performing various tasks and maintenance across TCEC’s service territory as well as assisting TCEC line and right-of-way crews as needed. He has years of experience working on local farms and managing cattle and is no stranger to a hard day’s work. The opportunity to build new relationships with other cooperative employees, while learning the ins and outs of the TCEC electric system is what drew Casey to apply for the open position. He is working to learn as much as he can from fellow employees and do everything he can to help make others jobs easier while working towards the mission and vison at TCEC. Casey has been married to his wife Kristen for over 13 years and have two children Lacey (10) and Wesley (7). In his free time, he enjoys being with his family outdoors and attending New Home Baptist Church.
TCEC Employees Honored for Their Years of Service Each year TCEC honors its dedicated employees who have reached milestones in their years of service to the cooperative and its members.
Josh Williams, Lineman Celebrating
5 years of service.
Donnie Waldrep, Board Trustee District 3
5 years - not pictured
January & February 2022
Dustin Fletcher, Lineman & Staking Technician Trey Barrs both began working at TCEC
Elmer Coker, Board Trustee
has proudly represented the members of District 9 for
15 years ago!
15 years.
Junior Smith, Board Trustee District 1
Mike Haynes, Warehouseman
15 years - not pictured
20 years - not pictured
Tamara Ashley, Staff Assistant
celebrated 35 years of service with Clint Nash, Cooperative Foreman who has worked at TCEC for 20 years.
Jackie Bennett
35 years - not pictured 3
Seminole Combined Cycle Facility Update TCEC’s wholesale energy provider, Seminole Electric Cooperative (Seminole), is building a new highly efficient natural gas-fired generation facility, the Seminole Combined Cycle Facility (SCCF). SCCF is being constructed directly adjacent to the existing Seminole Generating Station coal plant site in Putnam County, Florida, and will have a generating capacity of approximately 1,050 megawatts. Construction of the new plant is proceeding on schedule and within budget. As of October 30, the project was 72% complete. All major plant components for the project have been delivered to the site. The plant is scheduled to be commercially operational by the fall of 2022. SCCF is being financed with $727 million in rural development loans from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). USDA loans are issued at below-market interest rates, which will save Seminole’s Members, including TCEC, millions of dollars over the life of the facility.
“Seminole is always working to maintain economic feasibility for our Members,” said Jeff Locke, Environmental, Health, and Safety Administrator for the SCCF construction project. “The construction of SCCF brings several technological advances, including state-of-the-art unit efficiency, which saves fuel, and saves our Members money. With our safe work practices, this new facility will allow us to continue providing our Members safe, affordable, reliable electricity now, and into the future.” With the construction of this new gas-fired plant, one of the coal-fired units at the Seminole Generating Station will be removed from service. Seminole is also adding 300 MW of solar power to its portfolio. With the addition of the solar power, and the removal of one of the coal units from service, Seminole is projected to lower its carbon dioxide emissions in 2024 by 48% from 2005 levels. Seminole continues to evaluate new opportunities to increase solar energy in its power supply portfolio.
In this picture, the construction team is adding on an additional stack section for one of the combustion units. The stack will be 199 feet tall once completed.
Seminole is committed to the safety of its employees and contractors during the COVID-19 pandemic. Personnel are following Seminole’s Pandemic Response Plan, as well as site-specific requirements, to ensure that planning and construction continues safely during the pandemic. To date, there have been no delays to construction of the facility due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The inclusion of SCCF and the additional solar resources in Seminole’s power supply mix will align with Seminole’s purpose; to provide essential wholesale services to its Members through a balanced, diversified portfolio of safe, affordable, and reliable energy resources. 4
With the roof remaining to be attached, we can catch a glimpse of one of the combustion turbines.
January & February 2022
Always working behind the scenes Our consumer-members know TCEC is a little different from other utilities, such as investor-owned or municipal systems. But for those unfamiliar with the cooperative model, the differences may not be so apparent. That is where the Florida Electric Cooperatives Association (FECA) comes in. FECA represents 2.7 million Floridians receiving electricity from 17 cooperatives throughout the state, strengthening the co-op voice with elected officials at both the state and federal levels. FECA advocates to ensure Florida’s electric cooperatives continue to complete their mission of providing safe, reliable, and affordable electric service to consumer-members. As FECA develops relationships with lawmakers and their staff, they help educate legislators on the not-for-profit electric cooperative model, its difference from for-profit and government-owned utilities, and how energy policies impact electric utilities and specifically our consumermembers; their constituents. However, that is just a piece of the overall services FECA provides to its member cooperatives. Another big piece of the pie, one our gulf coast region is highly aware of, is securing mutual aid following a disaster. When a hurricane, ice storm, or other catastrophic event occurs, there are many moving parts within the electrical industry. Mutual aid is the process of receiving additional resources to help the co-op restore power to their consumer-members as safely and quickly as possible. FECA steps in during a time of disaster to help coordinate with Florida’s co-ops and other states to fill the needs with crews and equipment. This assistance allows the affected co-op to focus on restoring power to their area. Receiving mutual aid is much more complex than simply waiting for visiting crews to arrive and most people have never thought about what goes on behind the scenes. For example, the receiving co-op coordinates food, housing, laundry, and all day-to-day items involved in taking care of crews that are away from home. Before they arrive, FECA coordinates the moving logistics to ensure the needs required by a receiving co-op are reflected by the multiple crews traveling to the impacted area. They coordinate equipment needs, Department of Transportation waivers to assist crews along their route, fuel needs, road closures notifications, and anything else to help streamline the process of getting crews where they need to go. Electric cooperatives are a family. When we are not receiving mutual aid for disasters, we help by providing mutual aid to other coops; wherever the need might be. The logistics in sending mutual aid can be just as complex and fluid as receiving it. FECA is a valued asset within our communities. Often not seen by our consumer-members, but their impact is felt. The cooperative difference is what makes us so unique. We may be small, but we are part of a much larger network that makes us very strong, Co-op Strong. January & February 2022
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ONTHE COVER
Reliable. Resilient. Ready. TCEC Reliability Team prepares year around Julius Hackett, CEO Jeff Brewer, VP of Engineering John Tuten, VP of Operations Clint Nash, Cooperative Foreman Jason Hughey, Apparatus Technician
Kyle King, Operations Technician Antonio Richardson, System Engineer Trey Barrs, Staking Technician Jeremy Tuckey, Staking Technician
Reliability and resiliency are a 24/7, 365-days-a-year job. Whether it’s the power lines, substations or generation facilities on our grid, it takes proactive maintenance and investment to keep them running smoothly. The TCEC Reliability Team is tasked with working together to identify and resolve system issues to increase reliability, resiliency, and member satisfaction. The team consists of employees from management, engineering, and operations, possessing a wide range of knowledge, expertise, and more than 100 years of combined experience. Together they analyze system data to determine the most problematic areas throughout the TCEC system. Then they create projects to remediate the chronic issues in the areas where members and consumers are most negatively impacted. By identifying and eliminating chronic areas, our members receive the service they depend on.
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January & February 2022
Electric cooperatives use a variety of monitoring and automation technologies that improve power reliability, shorten outage times and reduce labor time for crews. The Reliability Team determines which of these technologies are effective in repairing an issue and increasing reliability. Technologies such as reclosers, which act like a circuit breaker for power lines, or power sensor application that provide real time reporting on power, voltage, current and more. Meeting monthly to discuss and analyze system resiliency and reliability keeps the issues on the forefront of the team’s mind and insures that projects are moving along in a timely manner. Bringing engineering, operations, system technology and co-op leadership all to the table is crucial in reducing the number of chronic outages and determining action items that will result in the best solutions for TCEC’s system. In the dictionary, resilience is defined as “the ability to bounce back, recover quickly and go back into shape or position after being stretched.” When it comes to providing our member-owners with resilient service, this is what we work toward – day in and day out! Resiliency is many things – it’s reliability in your electric service, it’s our ability to efficiently restore your power, it’s being able to meet the demands of new technology and it’s how we serve you with various generation sources without skipping a beat. Ultimately, resilience is how we deliver on our promise to improve the quality of life for our member-owners.
Reliability at Work:
TCEC Crews install equipment known as switching schemes at critical load points and densely populated areas across TCEC service territory. A switching scheme activates when a fault is detected and will close in the circuit allowing power to remain active with very little interruption. January & February 2022
When and where it is feasible, moving electric service underground can increase resiliency and reliability in certain areas.
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Tri-County Electric Cooperative, Inc. Board Meeting Summary for March 8, 2021 With all Trustees present, key cooperative personnel and the attorney present, the regular monthly meeting of the Board of Trustees of Tri-County Electric Cooperative, Inc. was held on Monday, March 8, 2021, in the Tri-County Electric headquarters office building located in Madison, Florida. Reports to the Board included the Finance Committee, Policy Committee, Building and Land Committee, and CEO. Action taken by the Board included the following: approval of the March 8, 2021 Board Agenda; the February 8, 2021 Board Meeting Minutes; and Consent Agenda items as written and recommended by the CEO, which included: the WPCA for March 2021 as established by resolution; RUS Form 7 for January 2021; the list of new members for January 19, 2021 – February 14, 2021; and Work and Accident Report for January 2021 along with the System Outage Reports. Other action taken by the board included authorization of the uncollectible 2020 fourth quarter electric receivable accounts for appropriate accounting designation; acceptance and approval of CoBank Resolution and Incumbency Certificate; approval of Authority to Submit or Grant Access Data together with Secretary’s Certificate for USDA Rural Development Data Collection System RD Apply Intake System; adoption of Capital City Bank Resolution and signature cards for officers and staff; and acceptance of the 2020 audit performed by Nichols, Cauley and Associates and approval to engage the services of Nichols Cauley to perform the Cooperatives’ audit for an additional year with the President and Secretary being authorized to sign the audit engagement letter. Bobby Dodd, President
Catherine Bethea, Secretary/Treasurer
Tri-County Electric Cooperative, Inc. Board Meeting Summary for April 12, 2021 With all Trustees present, key cooperative personnel and the attorney present, the regular monthly meeting of the Board of Trustees of Tri-County Electric Cooperative, Inc. was held on Monday, April 12, 2021, in the Tri-County Electric headquarters office building located in Madison, Florida. Reports to the Board included the Seminole Electric Cooperative March Board Meeting, Florida Electric Cooperatives Association March Board Meeting, Finance Committee, Policy Committee, Building and Land Committee, and CEO. Action taken by the Board included the following: approval of the April 12, 2021 Board Agenda; the March 8, 2021 Board Meeting Minutes; and Consent Agenda items as written and recommended by the CEO, which included: the WPCA for April 2021 as established by resolution; RUS Form 7 for February 2021; the list of new members for February 15, 2021 – March 18, 2021; and Work and Accident Report for February 2021 along with the System Outage Reports. Other action taken by the board included approval of revised Policy 115 “Cooperative Redistricting,” revised Policy 606 “Line Extension Policy,” revised Policy 700 “Cooperative Planning,” and revised Policy 800 “Cooperative Vehicles.” The board designated the sum of $15,000 of the unclaimed capital credits for the retirement year 2017 be donated to the cooperative’s educational scholarship fund; and gave authorization to the CEO to perform a feasibility study on the costs and considerations of providing broadband service to the membership. The attorney updated the board on legal matters. Bobby Dodd, President
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Catherine Bethea, Secretary/Treasurer
January & February 2022
Tri-County Electric Cooperative, Inc. Board Meeting Summary for May 10, 2021 With all Trustees present, key cooperative personnel and the attorney present, the regular monthly meeting of the Board of Trustees of Tri-County Electric Cooperative, Inc. was held on Monday, May 10, 2021, in the Tri-County Electric headquarters office building located in Madison, Florida. Reports to the Board included the NRECA Legislative Conference; Finance Committee, Policy Committee, Building and Land Committee, and CEO. Action taken by the Board included the following: approval of the May 10, 2021 Board Agenda; the April 12, 2021 and Meeting Minutes; and Consent Agenda items as written and recommended by the CEO, which included: the WPCA for May 2021 as established by resolution; RUS Form 7 for March 2021; the list of new members for March 19, 2021 – April 18, 2021; and Work and Accident Report for March 2021 along with the System Outage Reports. Other action taken by the board included approval of revised Policy 516 “Education Assistance Program” effective immediately; approval of the employee wage and salary update for 2021 – 2022; and designation of the CEO as voting delegate on behalf of the cooperative during the CFC and NCSC upcoming director elections. Plans for the September 2021 annual meeting were discussed. Bobby Dodd, President
Catherine Bethea, Secretary/Treasurer
Tri-County Electric Cooperative, Inc. Board Meeting Summary for June 14, 2021 With all Trustees present, key cooperative personnel and the attorney present, the regular monthly meeting of the Board of Trustees of Tri-County Electric Cooperative, Inc. was held on Monday, June 14, 2021, in the Tri-County Electric headquarters office building located in Madison, Florida. Reports to the Board included the Seminole Electric Cooperative May Board Meeting, Florida Electric Cooperatives Association June Board Meeting, Finance Committee, Policy Committee, Building and Land Committee, and CEO. Action taken by the Board included the following: approval of the June 14, 2021 Board Agenda; the May 10, 2021 Board Meeting Minutes; and Consent Agenda items as written and recommended by the CEO, which included: the WPCA for June 2021 as established by resolution; RUS Form 7 for April 2021; the list of new members for April 19, 2021 – May 16, 2021; and Work and Accident Report for April 2021 along with the System Outage Reports. Other action taken by the board included authorization for the first quarter 2021 electric receivable accounts for appropriate accounting designation; approval of RUS Forms 219 for July 2020 – March 2021; approval of 2021 – 2022 renewal rates for employees’ medical, dental and vision insurance; and approval of the CEO’s salary effective June 1, 2021. The attorney updated the board on legal matters. Bobby Dodd, President
Catherine Bethea, Secretary/Treasurer
STATEMENT OF NONDISCRIMINATION Tri-County Electric Cooperative, Inc. is the recipient of federal financial assistance from the Rural Utilities Service, an agency of the U. S. Department of Agriculture, and is subject to the provisions of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended, the Age Discrimination Act of 1975, as amended and the rules and regulations of the U.S. Department of Agriculture which provide that no person in the United States on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity (including gender expression), sexual orientation, disability, age, marital status, family/parental status, income derived from a public assistance program, political beliefs, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity, in any program or activity conducted or funded by USDA (not all bases apply to all programs), shall be excluded from participation in, admission or access to, denied the benefits of, or otherwise be subjected to discrimination under any of this organization’s programs or activities. The person responsible for coordinating this organization’s nondiscrimination compliance efforts is H. Julius Hackett, CEO. Any individual, or specific class of individuals, who feels that this organization has subjected them to discrimination may obtain further information about the statutes and regulations listed above from and/or file a written complaint with this organization; or the USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, Room 326-W, Whitten Building, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20250-9410, or call (202) 720-5964 (voice or TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer. Complaints must be filed within 180 days after the alleged discrimination. Confidentiality will be maintained to the extent possible. January & February 2022
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Sweetheart Cupcakes By Celeste https://www.allrecipes.com/ Prep: 20 mins Cook: 20 mins Additional: 1 hr Total: 1 hr 40 mins
Servings: 24 Yield: 2 dozen cupcakes
Ingredients •
1 (18.25 ounce) package white cake mix
•
1 ¼ cups water
•
⅓ cup vegetable oil
•
3 egg whites
•
8 drops red food coloring
•
2 drops raspberry candy oil
Directions 1. Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a standard muffin tin with paper cupcake liners. 2. Beat the cake mix, water, vegetable oil, and egg whites together on low speed for 30 seconds, then on medium for 2 minutes, until smooth. Fill cupcake liners 1/3 full with white batter; set aside. 3. Stir 4 drops of red food coloring into the remaining bowl of batter to make the batter pink. Stir in the raspberry oil. Pour 1/3 of pink batter into a resealable plastic bag and set aside. 4. Mix more food coloring into the remaining bowl of pink batter until it is an orange/red color and pour the batter into a resealable plastic bag. Cut a corner off the bag, stick the open tip into the center of each cup of white batter and squeeze in about two tablespoons of red batter. 5. Cut the corner off the bag with the pink batter, stick the open tip into the center of the red batter and squeeze about 1 tablespoon pink batter into each cup. 6. Bake the layered cupcakes in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 15 to 20 minutes. Cool completely before frosting.
Congratulations Pinkard Family
TCEC HR Specialist Andrew Pinkard and his wife Bobbi welcomed their third child on November 8, 2021. Evelyn Grace Pinkard was born at South Georgia Medical Center, weighing 5 pounds, 14 ounces and 19.5 inches long. Evelyn’s two big brothers are over the moon with excitement.
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January & February 2022
This Publication’s Inspirational Moment
And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
1 Corinthians 13:13
Holiday Schedule Reminder All Tri-County Electric Cooperative offices will be closed Monday, January 17, 2022 in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. We will have standby crews available for power restoration if needed. Please see “Connect to your Co-op” on Page 11 of this newsletter.
January & February 2022
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Tri-County Electric Cooperative, Inc. 2862 West US 90 Madison, FL 32340
Presorted Std. U.S. Postage P A I D Tallahassee, FL Permit No. 706
Visit www.tcec.com/youth-tour for more information!
Applications Due 1/17/2022
Rural Living TRI-COUNTY ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE