Florida Public Service Commission report finds reduced power outage length
The Florida Public Service Commission (PSC) released its report on electric utilities’ hurricane preparedness and restoration actions Tuesday, which found that, overall, the length of power outages decreased.
“For more than a decade, the PSC has worked to strengthen the state’s electric infrastructure, while keeping costs down for customers,” PSC Chairman Art Graham said. “This report confirms that our storm hardening rules are working and also identifies areas that can be improved, such as utilities’ undergrounding programs, customer communications, and tree-trimming coordination with local governments.
In 2006, the commission ordered electric utilities to implement extensive resilience improvement activities. The 2016 and 2017 hurricane seasons presented the first major storm landfall in Florida since 2006, making it the first opportunity to gather performance data following the implementation of the PSC’s storm hardening practices.
The report, Review of Florida’s Electric Utility Hurricane Preparedness and Restoration Actions 2018, found that the length of utility power outages decreased from the 2004-2005 storm season, that hardened distribution facilities outperformed non-hardened facilities, and that falling trees, vegetation, and debris from outside the utilities’ rights of way were the primary causes of outages.
The PSC also recently directed its staff to open storm hardening plan review dockets for Florida’s investor-owned utilities (IOUs) earlier than previously scheduled, collect data on targeted undergrounding projects and initiative two PSC staff management audits covering how IOUs estimate and communicate outage restoration times to customers and how they inspect and maintain transmission structures.
The commission also suggested that the Legislature consider a statewide public education program on tree trimming and legislation to require inspection and hardening of non-electric utility poles.
