ATLANTA, Jan. 20, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Southern
Company announced today that lineworkers and support staff from
each of Southern Company's four electric operating companies –
Alabama Power, Georgia Power, Gulf Power and Mississippi Power –
will be deployed to Puerto Rico.
Personnel are scheduled to arrive in Puerto Rico today, Jan.
20, to help restore power safely and as quickly as possible
to areas impacted by Hurricane Maria as part of an industry mutual
assistance effort coordinated through the Edison Electric
Institute.
As part of this effort, on Wednesday,
Jan. 3rd, Southern Company launched a barge from the Port of
Chickasaw in Mobile, Alabama, filled with trucks, tools and
support equipment. That vessel arrived in Puerto Rico on Jan.
15 in order for those much-needed supplies to be ready for
the additional lineworkers and staff.
"Southern Company is proud to increase our assistance to the
citizens of Puerto Rico," said
Chairman, President and CEO Thomas A.
Fanning. "In the face of this enormous challenge, our
employees are dedicated to the effort and determined to restore and
repair Puerto Rico's energy
grid."
Southern Company system lineworkers and staff will work
under the direction of the 10-person Incident Management Team (IMT)
Southern Company deployed in early December to support Puerto Rico
Electric Power Authority's (PREPA) regional directors. That
Southern Company IMT is one of seven such teams assigned to seven
regions of Puerto Rico under
coordination with PREPA, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE)
and the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The new wave of
personnel will join the IMT in continued support of restoration in
the Mayaguez region on the western side of Puerto Rico.
In addition to the IMT, Southern Company's Puerto Rico response includes 400 personnel
from another Southern Company subsidiary, PowerSecure, Inc., who
have been working in Puerto Rico
since October under a contract with the USACE. The Southern Company
system has been steadily involved in restoration efforts
including; damage assessment, clearing debris, resetting poles,
mobilizing equipment, providing temporary emergency power, ensuring
adequate generation at power plants, and reinstalling and repairing
transmission and distribution lines.
With this new wave of personnel, the total number of restoration
workers in Puerto Rico will
increase to more than 5,500. This includes crews such as those with
PowerSecure mobilized under USACE contracts, PREPA's own resources,
industry mutual assistance crews and others. Mutual assistance is a
hallmark of the energy industry, playing a critical role in the
restoration of the grid after major weather events. PowerSecure has
extensive experience in storm restorations and has deployed crews
for every named storm to hit the U.S. in the past eight years.
Southern Company remains committed to the people of Puerto Rico and to this massive, unprecedented
restoration undertaking.
About Southern Company
Southern Company (NYSE: SO) is America's premier energy company,
with 46,000 megawatts of generating capacity and 1,500 billion
cubic feet of combined natural gas consumption and throughput
volume serving 9 million customers through its subsidiaries. The
company provides clean, safe, reliable and affordable energy
through electric operating companies in four states, natural gas
distribution companies in seven states, a competitive generation
company serving wholesale customers across America and a nationally
recognized provider of customized energy solutions, as well as
fiber optics and wireless communications. Southern Company brands
are known for excellent customer service, high reliability and
affordable prices that are below the national average. Through an
industry-leading commitment to innovation, Southern Company and its
subsidiaries are inventing America's energy future by developing
the full portfolio of energy resources, including carbon-free
nuclear, 21st century coal, natural gas, renewables and energy
efficiency, and creating new products and services for the benefit
of customers. Southern Company has been named by the U.S.
Department of Defense and G.I. Jobs magazine as a top military
employer, recognized among the Top 50 Companies for Diversity by
DiversityInc, listed by Black Enterprise magazine as one of the 40
Best Companies for Diversity and designated a Top Employer for
Hispanics by Hispanic Network. The company has earned a National
Award of Nuclear Science and History from the National Atomic
Museum Foundation for its leadership and commitment to nuclear
development and is continually ranked among the top energy
companies in Fortune's annual World's Most Admired Electric and Gas
Utility rankings. Visit our website at www.southerncompany.com.
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SOURCE Southern Company