Florida News Straight From the Source
U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) today urged Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee leaders to hold a hearing on legislation he filed last fall in the wake of Hurricane Irma that would require the federal government to set up fuel reserves on Florida’s east and west coasts that could be used in the event of another major storm hitting the state. [Read more…] about Nelson calls for hearing on Florida fuel reserve bill
Florida’s electric utilities and emergency management updated the Florida Public Service Commission (PSC) today on their storm preparation efforts, saying they are ready for the 2017 Hurricane Season that begins June 1.
The CEOs of Florida’s five investor-owned utilities, along with executives from the Florida Electric Cooperatives Association, the Florida Municipal Electric Association, and the Florida Division of Emergency Management also discussed how customer needs are met during and after storm-related events, including restoration and communication efforts.
“Ongoing hurricane preparedness initiatives have improved Florida utilities’ overall storm hardening efforts and response and restoration times, as we saw during last year’s storm season,” said PSC Chairman Julie Brown. “Today’s Annual Hurricane Preparedness Briefing confirms that our utilities use the latest technology and lessons learned to better prepare for any upcoming weather event that threatens Florida.”
Beginning in 2006, the PSC required the state’s investor-owned utilities to implement an aggressive vegetation management cycle for all major distribution circuits, incorporate a transmission inspection program, and an eight-year inspection cycle for all wooden poles. Some utilities have replaced wooden poles with concrete poles that can withstand 140-mile-per-hour winds.
Today’s presentations demonstrated how customer communications and thoughtful preparation can improve outage restoration times. The following executives shared their hurricane preparedness plans:
