The Florida Public Service Commission (PSC) will consider a draft report on Electric Utility Hurricane Preparedness and Restoration Actions at its Internal Affairs meeting on Tuesday, June 19. Following months of data analysis, including a two-day workshop, the draft report identifies potential areas for further reducing outages and restoration times.
Last October, the Commission established a docket to collect and analyze forensic data on the utilities’ transmission and distribution facilities to discern the type and cause of damage. PSC staff issued data requests to all electric utilities and also sought input from customers and non-utility stakeholders.
At a Commission workshop on May 2-3, 2018, utilities presented data on preparation and restoration processes, impacts on transmission and distribution facilities, and customer communications during the 2016 and 2017 hurricane seasons. Local governments and other stakeholders also discussed pre- and post-storm practices, policies, and communications. This input has been critical in helping identify areas where preparation and restoration efforts can improve to better meet post-storm expectations.
In 2006 the PSC ordered electric utilities to put in place extensive programs to improve system resilience. That was followed by 10 years without a major storm landfall in Florida, making the 2016 and 2017 hurricane seasons the first opportunity to gather performance data from the different components of the programs.
For additional information, visit floridapsc.com.
