JUNO BEACH, Fla., Sept. 5, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Florida Power & Light Company has quickly
restored service to all customers impacted by Hurricane Dorian. The
company restored more than 160,000 customers, some more than once
using smart grid technology. Most outages were caused primarily by
downed trees, vegetation and debris blowing into power
lines. FPL is now working with other utilities to the north to
help reallocate resources to help respond to Dorian as it impacts
Georgia, the Carolinas and
Virginia.
![www.FPL.com . (PRNewsFoto/Florida Power & Light Company) www.FPL.com . (PRNewsFoto/Florida Power & Light Company)](https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/469827/FPL_Logo.jpg)
"For customers impacted by Hurricane Dorian, thank you for your
patience as we worked around-the-clock to get your lights back on
as the storm moved north. I also want to thank our industry
partners who helped bolster our restoration workforce to among the
largest pre-storm levels in our history, as we prepared to face
this catastrophic storm," said Eric
Silagy, FPL president and CEO. "Lastly, I want to thank
Governor DeSantis, law enforcement, first responders and other
state and local officials for helping enable us to restore power
safely and as quickly as possible."
"Our investments over the past decade in smart grid technology,
undergrounding power lines and strengthening the energy grid
enabled us to restore power faster to customers and avoid thousands
of outages," Silagy said. "With smart grid technology, some
restoration tasks that would previously have required a crew to
travel to a site in the field and perform work on overhead
equipment can now be resolved with the push of a button. We also
deployed 58 drones to help crews get eyes on any damage to our
electric system. This high-tech solution provides valuable insight
into areas of dense vegetation and flooding, and helps us get the
right crews and resources in the right places more
quickly."
Toppled trees falling onto equipment and power lines, along with
excess vegetation and debris, were the leading cause of outages
from Hurricane Dorian. While FPL trims trees from more than 15,000
miles of power lines each year, keeping trees away from power lines
is a shared responsibility. Customers are urged to follow FPL's
Right Tree, Right Place guidelines when planting trees. More
information is available at FPL.com/trees.
After Hurricane Dorian's catastrophic impact in the Bahamas, the company will make a contribution
to the Red Cross for the Bahamas
along with its employees. Additionally, FPL is working with the
United Way to gather supplies to assist those in need.
By the numbers
- Nearly 4 million FPL customers were in Dorian's path.
- More than 160,000 customers restored, some more than once using
smart grid technology.
- Peak number of outages was just over 11,000 at any given time
during the storm.
- Average customer was restored in just over an hour, and no
outage lasted more than 24 hours.
- More than 37,000 outages avoided thanks to investments in smart
grid technology.
- 58 drones deployed to help crews visualize damage in dense or
flooded areas.
"Dorian is a reminder that we are in the height of hurricane
season, and we must remain vigilant," said Silagy. "Please take
time now to ensure you and your family are prepared before the next
storm strikes."
Additional resources
- How FPL restores power
- Stay safe after the storm
- How keeping trees away from power lines improves your electric
service
Florida Power & Light
Company
Florida Power & Light Company is the
largest energy company in the United
States as measured by retail electricity produced and sold,
serving more than 5 million customer accounts or an estimated 10
million+ people across the state of Florida. FPL's typical
1,000-kWh residential customer bill is approximately 30 percent
lower than the latest national average and among the lowest in the
U.S. FPL's service reliability is better than 99.98 percent, and
its highly fuel-efficient power plant fleet is one of the cleanest
among all electric companies nationwide. The company was recognized
in 2018 as one of the most trusted U.S. electric utilities by
Market Strategies International for the fifth consecutive year. A
leading Florida employer with approximately 8,700 employees, FPL is
a subsidiary of Juno Beach,
Florida-based NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE: NEE), a clean
energy company widely recognized for its efforts in sustainability,
ethics and diversity, and has been ranked No. 1 in the electric and
gas utilities industry in Fortune's 2019 list of "World's Most
Admired Companies." NextEra Energy is also the parent company of
Gulf Power Company, which serves more than 460,000 customers in
eight counties throughout Northwest
Florida, and NextEra Energy Resources, LLC, which, together
with its affiliated entities, is the world's largest generator of
renewable energy from the wind and sun and a world leader in
battery storage. For more information about NextEra Energy
companies, visit these websites: www.NextEraEnergy.com,
www.FPL.com,
www.GulfPower.com, www.NextEraEnergyResources.com.
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SOURCE Florida Power & Light
Company