ST. PETERSBURG, Fla.,
Dec. 19, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Duke
Energy Florida today filed with the Florida Public Service
Commission to recover costs related to the company's storm response
to Hurricane Dorian, as well as the smaller Tropical Storm Nestor,
both in 2019.
Storm costs are estimated to be $171
million for Hurricane Dorian and $400,000 for Tropical Storm Nestor.
Hurricane Dorian, which peaked as a Category 5 storm, initially
was predicted to batter much of heavily populated Florida, potentially cutting electricity to
millions of people.
Mobilizing and strategically positioning a large number of power
line repair crews prior to a major hurricane is critical to
restoring power to impacted customers as quickly as possible after
the storm.
In advance of Hurricane Dorian, between
Aug. 28 and Aug. 30, Duke Energy Florida deployed
approximately 7,800 employees and contractors to support power
restoration work.
Residential customers will see an increase of $5.34 per 1,000 kWh of electricity on a typical
monthly bill, starting in March 2020
and continuing for an additional 11 months.
Commercial and industrial customers will see an increase between
2.6% and 7.7%. However, the specific bill impact on individual
businesses will vary, based on several factors.
The Florida Public Service Commission will review the costs and
determine the final amount to be recovered in a subsequent
proceeding next year.
Duke Energy Florida is already using a combined $675 million in savings from the 2017 Tax Cuts
and Jobs Act (TCJA) to cover restoration costs for hurricanes Irma,
Nate and Michael, and to replenish its hurricane reserve
fund. This approach saves residential customers nearly
$12 per 1,000 kWh of electricity on a
typical monthly bill.
"We've seen an increase in frequency and intensity of extreme
weather events," said Catherine
Stempien, Duke Energy Florida state president. "We're
working hard to strengthen our electric grid while minimizing
impacts to customer bills."
Hurricane Dorian produced sustained winds of 185 miles per hour
and gusts over 200 miles per hour when it made landfall in the
Bahamas. The storm killed
approximately 60 people in the Bahamas and caused an estimated $7 billion in damage.
With Hurricane Dorian's "cone of uncertainty" blanketing the
entire state, Florida declared a
state of emergency for all counties. Approximately 150 general and
special needs shelters opened and 16 counties issued evacuation
orders.
Although the eye of Hurricane Dorian came within 95 miles of
Florida's heavily populated
Atlantic coast, the state was spared the worst.
Sustained winds associated with the storm reached upwards of 60
miles per hour along Florida's
Atlantic coastline, and tropical storm-force winds reached inland
to Central Florida.
Hurricane Dorian ultimately cut power to about 24,000 Duke
Energy Florida customers, most of them in Central
Florida.
Building A Smarter Energy Future®
Duke Energy Florida's commitment to grid improvements to enhance
reliability, security and resilience while adding more solar power
is making a difference in reducing customer outages and providing
cleaner energy.
Vegetation related events have decreased by 15% since 2014, The
System Average Interruption Duration Index, which is the amount of
time the average customer experiences a sustained outage, has
decreased by 7% since 2014. And year-to-date, Duke Energy Florida's
self-optimizing grid has avoided more than 144,000 customer outages
and saved approximately 9.7 million minutes of customer
interruptions.
Duke Energy Florida
Duke Energy Florida, a subsidiary of Duke Energy, owns a diverse
generation mix of natural gas, coal and renewables, providing about
10,200 megawatts of owned electric capacity to approximately 1.8
million customers in a 13,000-square-mile service area.
Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK), a Fortune 150 company headquartered in
Charlotte, N.C., is one of the
largest energy holding companies in the U.S. It employs 30,000
people and has an electric generating capacity of 51,000 megawatts
through its regulated utilities, and 3,000 megawatts through its
nonregulated Duke Energy Renewables unit.
Duke Energy is transforming its customers' experience,
modernizing the energy grid, generating cleaner energy and
expanding natural gas infrastructure to create a smarter energy
future for the people and communities it serves. The Electric
Utilities and Infrastructure unit's regulated utilities serve
approximately 7.7 million retail electric customers in six states –
North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Indiana, Ohio
and Kentucky. The Gas Utilities
and Infrastructure unit distributes natural gas to more than 1.6
million customers in five states – North
Carolina, South Carolina,
Tennessee, Ohio and Kentucky. The Duke Energy Renewables unit
operates wind and solar generation facilities across the U.S., as
well as energy storage and microgrid projects.
Duke Energy was named to Fortune's 2019 "World's Most Admired
Companies" list, and Forbes' 2019 "America's Best Employers" list.
More information about the company is available at duke-energy.com.
The Duke Energy News Center contains news releases, fact sheets,
photos, videos and other materials. Duke Energy's illumination
features stories about people, innovations, community topics and
environmental issues. Follow Duke Energy on Twitter, LinkedIn,
Instagram and Facebook.
Contact: Ana Gibbs
Office: 727.820.4722 | 24-Hour: 800.559.3853
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SOURCE Duke Energy