Currents-September 2021

SEPTEMBER 2021

Suwannee Valley

CURRENTS

INSIDE: UNDER CONSTRUCTION Seminole reaches major milestones for new generating facility TRIPLE THREAT Get ready for the 4th annual Suwannee Valley Cornhole Tournament BACK-TO-SCHOOL SMILES SVEC pitches in at Suwannee’s Back to School Bash

CEO’S MESSAGE

Suwannee Valley

CURRENTS September 2021

Michael S. McWaters Executive V.P./CEO

Suwannee Valley Currents is a monthly newsletter published by Suwannee Valley Electric Cooperative, © 2021. It is distributed without charge to all consumermembers of the cooperative.

When we save, you save These days, it seems like everyone is looking for ways to save energy.

Whether it’s to reduce the impact on the environment or just to try and save some money on the electric bill, we all want to be more efficient with our energy usage.

The same is true for your cooperative. You may have noticed that we often use the pages of this newsletter to share easy ways to be energy efficient around the house. We also offer a variety of tools and information on our website to help our consumer-members save energy and money.

But the most important part of our energy-efficiency efforts is probably our partnership with our power provider Seminole Electric Cooperative. Much like you are a consumer-member of Suwannee Valley Electric Cooperative, we are a Seminole member. As a member, we share the cost of generating electricity with other distribution cooperatives.

In recent years, Seminole has taken great strides toward establishing a cleaner energy mix for its member cooperatives. Six years ago, the co-op made the decision to replace one of the coal units at the Seminole Generating Station in Putnam County with a state-of-the-art natural gas-fired combined cycle facility that will be more efficient and produce more power.

It’s an exciting project for all of us who rely on Seminole for our electricity, and I’m happy to share that construction crews reached the halfway mark this summer. Reaching that important milestone means everything is on track for the facility to be up and bringing you efficient electric power by the end of next year.

You can read more about the Seminole Combined Cycle Facility in this newsletter, as well as the impact it will have on our overall energy mix in the coming years.

We’re also excited to introduce three new members of the SVEC family. Evan Fuller has come aboard as an apprentice dispatcher, while Maci Brown and Brittany Townsend both join the cooperative as part-time cashiers. If you see them at our office, be sure to say hi and make them feel welcome.

Other welcome news is that it’s time again for one of our favorite new traditions: the annual Suwannee Valley Cornhole Tournament. Last year, 30 teams across the competitive and novice brackets came together to raise more than $5,000 for United Way. We want this year’s event to be even bigger and better, so don’t forget to register or contact us to become a sponsor.

I hope to see you there, and I hope the fall gets off to a wonderful start for all of our consumer-members. Together, we can build a more efficient electric system to serve this great community. 

2 | September 2021

WE BELONG TO THOSE WE SERVE Business Office: 800-447-4509 11340 100th St. Live Oak, FL 32060 Lobby Hours: 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m., Monday-Friday Drive-thru Kiosk Open 24 Hours 24/7 Power Outage Reporting 800-752-0025 svec-coop.com facebook.com/sveccoop @SVEC_COOP_FL Instagram.com/sveccoop SVEC is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

On the cover: Construction on the new Seminole Combined Cycle Facility in Putnam County has reached the halfway mark.

See story, Page 4.

Suwannee Valley Currents

NEW

EMPLOYEES

Welcome new team members!

LOOK, UP IN THE SKY!

Evan Fuller Apprentice Dispatcher

SVEC recently hired an outside contractor to replace some lights. But this wasn’t your average bulb replacement — these lights were part of the 500-foot-tall communications tower you may have noticed soaring over our headquarters in Live Oak. The tower houses microwave equipment that allows our dispatchers to communicate with and remotely control devices in our substations, as well as a weather station and radio antennas for keeping in touch with field crews.

The lights, which are required by the Federal Aviation Administration, were replaced with more efficient and longer-lasting LED technology.

Keep power poles clear, keep our linemen safe

Maci Brown Part-time Cashier

Posted items on power poles are more than just an eyesore; they can be dangerous — even life-threatening — to our linemen. SVEC asks everyone to help keep poles clear.

• Linemen’s clamped safety boots can snag on staples and nails left in poles long after signs are gone.

• Foreign objects can injure linemen or tear protective clothing, the first line of defense from electric shock.

• Posted materials can distract drivers and degrade the quality and stability of wooden poles.

Area light reporting

Brittany Townsend Part-time Cashier

If you’ve noticed a street or area light that isn’t on or is malfunctioning, let SVEC know. You can request a repair through the SmartHub app by tapping on “Report an Issue/Inquiry” at the top of the home screen, then “Other Issues/General Inquiry” and “Area Light Out.” Once there, use the Comments section to let us know where the light is located. You can also call 800-447-4509 to report a problem over the phone. An SVEC member service representative will contact members who report a malfunctioning area light by the end of the next business day.

Suwannee Valley Currents

September 2021 | 3

Building the next generation Seminole Electric reaches milestones on new generating facility At Suwannee Valley Electric Cooperative, we work hard every day to bring electric service to our consumer-members. We build and maintain distribution lines, install the latest technology to improve reliability and monitor every part of our system to bring you reliable and affordable power.

But no matter how hard we work, it would never be cost-effective for our cooperative to build and operate our own generation facilities. That is why SVEC is itself a member of a cooperative: Seminole Electric Cooperative.

Seminole was incorporated in 1948 and is now one of the largest generation and transmission cooperatives in the country. Just like our consumer-members pay SVEC for their electric service, we are a Seminole member and pay for the share of electricity our system uses.

The similarities don’t stop there. Seminole is also a notfor-profit organization, like SVEC, meaning it is constantly looking for new ways to provide reliable electric service to its member cooperatives. Over the last year, Seminole has made great strides in improving the reliability, efficiency and cost of service with the construction of a new Seminole Combined Cycle Facility (SCCF) in Putnam County.

“Seminole and its Members have invested in a new-generation facility with the latest technologies in efficiency and reliability,” says Paul Champion, quality assurance/control coordinator for the SCCF project. “There are many advantages with a new gas-fired power station, economically and environmentally, that will benefit our community.”

A crane lifts the generator for Unit #2 onto its foundation.

HALFWAY THERE

Conversations around SCCF go back six years, when Seminole’s leadership and board of trustees gathered to weigh their options for maintaining a balanced fuel mix.

Several purchased-power agreements, which allow the cooperative to buy a share of electricity produced by other generators, were nearing expiration.

They decided to build SCCF as a replacement for one of the coal units at the Seminole Generating Station. As one of the most efficient combined-cycle generation units in the country, the switch will result in a 40% reduction of air emissions, a 34% reduction in carbon dioxide emissions and a 27% increase in energy output.

CONSTRUCTION TIMELINE

DECEMBER 2020 FEBRUARY 2020

The Putnam Hall gas yard, constructed by project partner SeaCoast, is completed. A pipeline will soon be constructed connecting this gas yard to SCCF.

4 | September 2021

JULY 2020

Form work for the combustion turbines is underway, along with construction on the service water tank, which can be seen rising on the left of the image.

Major equipment components begin to arrive by train to the SCCF site. The generator for combustion turbine 2 is the first to arrive, weighing 370 tons.

Suwannee Valley Currents

Construction on the new facility began in early 2020, with crews clearing trees, laying underground piping and establishing underground foundations and conduits to prepare for above-ground construction.

To date, construction is about halfway to completion, with some of the large pieces of equipment, including gas turbines and steam generators, already installed on their foundations.

“All the major equipment has been delivered to site as of today,” says Senior Project Engineer Jon Gonzalez. “That’s almost unheard of at this stage of the project.”

That doesn’t mean there isn’t still plenty of work ahead. While the project has reached the halfway point, Gonzalez notes having the heavy lifting behind them means it’s time to move on to the intricate and time-consuming work of running cables to set up control systems for that equipment.

“Now we start getting into the more complicated pieces,” he says.

“Not just putting things together, but making sure those parts work so the stakeholders and the Members get what’s expected or better.”

All of that work is being funded with an up to $727 million loan from the United States Department of

Agriculture’s (USDA) rural development program. USDA rural development loans are issued at below-market interest rates, and this loan will save Seminole’s Member cooperatives millions of dol­lars over the life of the Seminole Combined Cycle Facility.

A CLEANER FUTURE

Currently, SCCF is expected to be ready for operation by the end of 2022. With its addition to the Seminole system, along with upgrades like the improved turbines installed at the Midulla Generating Station last year and an additional 300 megawatts of solar energy through purchased-power agreements, the cooperative’s energy mix will be transformed.

By 2024, nearly three-quarters of Seminole’s total load is projected to come from natural gas, more than twice what it accounts for today.

Approximately half of Seminole’s energy production will come from SCCF alone, while reliance on coal is expected to drop from about 45% of the mix today to less than 9% in 2024. All of that adds up to lowering carbon dioxide emissions by 48% in 2024 compared to 2005 levels.

Those improvements will help Seminole and its member cooperatives stay competitive in a rapidly changing electric industry, while helping SVEC achieve our goal of continuing to bring you reliable and affordable power. 

Crews lift a heat recovery steam generator and ready it for installation.

JULY 2021

The SCCF project site is nearly halfway to completion.

JANUARY 2021

The foundations for the generator step-up transformers take shape.

MARCH 2021

One of 10 tube bundles is prepared for installation into one of the heat recovery steam generators, which captures waste heat from the combustion turbine to generate steam.

Suwannee Valley Currents

September 2021 | 5

social media

SPOTLIGHT

Follow SVEC on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for the latest on outages, cooperative programs, community events and more. Here are a few highlights from the last month.

Turkey Sloppy Joes 1 pound ground turkey 1 medium onion, finely chopped 1 medium bell pepper, finely chopped 1 clove of garlic, minced 2 tablespoons tomato paste 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard 1 tablespoon Frank’s Red Hot SAUCE 3 cups crushed tomatoes 1 tablespoon honey Salt and pepper, to taste Low-carb buns Brown the turkey in a skillet. Remove it from the skillet and add the chopped onion, bell peppers and garlic, sauteing until soft. Return the meat to the skillet and add tomato paste, mustard, hot sauce, tomatoes and honey. Taste, and season with salt and pepper if needed. Simmer the mixture until it’s warmed through and thickened slightly, then spoon it onto low-carb buns. 

facebook.com/sveccoop instagram.com/sveccoop twitter.com/SVEC_COOP 6 | September 2021

Do you have a great recipe?

Email a copy of a recipe you’d like to share to communications@svec-coop.com.

Suwannee Valley Currents

Five great fall fishing options

By Terry Gibson, Visit Florida

It’s hard to believe the summer is already coming to an end. Within a month or less, summertime fishing conditions off the Southeast coast will be dragged out to sea. A good blow, and even just a slight drop in water temperatures, can set off a chain reaction of migrations and bites you don’t want to miss.

MULLET RUN

Along the Atlantic Coast, silver mullet form schools the size of a football field that migrate down the Intracoastal Waterway and along the beaches.

Every hungry fish-eating predator is in hot pursuit, from popular game fish such as tarpon, jacks and snook to birds like pelicans and ospreys. You can catch at least a dozen species of fish while enjoying one of the most magnificent wildlife migrations on earth.

MAHI MADNESS

Mahi-mahi, or “dolphin” fish as they’re called locally, are available year round, but the peak runs occur in the spring and fall. They follow comfortable water temperatures and bait along a migration that takes them, as far as we know, off of Newfoundland down through the Gulf of Mexico. Fall is the time of year when the huge bulls are caught, some weighing up to 70 pounds. The biggest fish are generally caught out of Cape Canaveral, St. Augustine and Jacksonville Beach.

STRIPER AND WHIPERS

Cool breezes don’t just get largemouth bass excited. Striped bass and the hybrid white/striped bass, called a sunshine bass or “whiper,” also get fired up. They feed in blitzes across central Florida lakes near Orlando, as well as in northwest and northeast rivers, like the St. Johns. These are powerful fish that will slam almost anything resembling a baitfish.

YELLOWTAILING BASS ATTACK

Summertime “largemouth lethargy” is over. Fall breezes get currents flowing in lakes and flowing faster in creeks, rivers and canals.

Suwannee Valley Currents

Big, aggressive bass take up ambush points behind structures. It’s a great time for topwater action. Top lakes include Fellsmere’s legendary Stick Marsh, Lake Toho and Lake Okeechobee.

Want to catch “flag” yellowtails? Hit the Keys in September. It’s generally quiet down there that time of the year, and you’re likely to have the reefs to yourself. You can access them via party boat — the least expensive option — rent a boat yourself or hire a charter. There are plenty of great restaurants through the Keys that will cook and serve your fresh catch. 

September 2021 | 7

Join us for the Suwannee Valley Cornhole Tournament SVEC is proud to host the fourth annual Suwannee Valley Cornhole Tournament next month.

Players of any skill level are welcome to participate, whether playing for fun or playing to win. All proceeds from the event will go to United Way of Suwannee Valley.

Last year’s event raised over $5,000, and we hope to make an even bigger contribution this year.

WHEN: Saturday, Oct. 9 Check-in/registration, 9-9:45 a.m.

Games start at 10 a.m.

WHERE: Suwannee Valley Electric Cooperative 11340 100th St., Live Oak

REGISTRATION: Two-person teams $40 in advance/$50 day of Individual participants $20 in advance/$25 day of

Individual players will be paired with a partner. There will be awards and prizes for the winning teams. Food and soft drinks will be on sale, with proceeds going to United Way of Suwannee Valley.

For more information on how to register or become a sponsor, visit suwanneecornhole.com.

Back-to-school smiles

Mother Nature couldn’t rain out last month’s Back to School Bash for Suwannee County Schools. SVEC was excited to join district staff, volunteers and other community partners to give out backpacks containing school supplies and peanut butter to local students.

A final PROCESSION SVEC was honored to pay tribute to Lt. Lonny Hempstead’s life and service at his funeral on Aug. 14. Bucket trucks formed an arch to hang the American flag over the road from Airline Baptist Church during his final procession.

Lt. Hempstead was a dedicated officer of the Lafayette County Sheriff’s Office and a member of the U.S. Army National Guard for 22 years.

He served in Iraq during Operation Noble Eagle and Operation Enduring Freedom.

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Suwannee Valley Currents