Electric power industry, government work to rebuild infrastructure after Hurricane Laura

Electricity has been restored to more than 737,000 homes and businesses in Louisiana, Texas, Mississippi, and Arkansas after Hurricane Laura hit the region last week, but rebuilding the high-voltage electric transmission system in Louisiana will take more time after it suffered unprecedented damage.

Electric companies are in close coordination with federal agencies as work continues to repair critical infrastructure. The CEO-led Electricity Subsector Coordinating Council (ESCC), an organization that serves as the principal liaison between leadership in the federal government and the electric power sector, is discussing the restoration efforts with senior officials from the Department of Energy (DOE), the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and executives from all segments of the electric power industry.

Entergy Louisiana said the transmission system that helps deliver power to customers’ homes suffered catastrophic damages. All nine transmission lines that deliver power into the Lake Charles, La., area are currently out of service. A breakdown of the damaged infrastructure in southwest Louisiana includes more than 1,000 transmission structures, 6,637 broken poles, 2,926 transformers and 338 miles of downed distribution wire, according to Entergy. The company expects it will be about two to three weeks before power is available to customers in the Lake Charles area who can safely receive it.

DOE Deputy Secretary Mark Menezes said, “The transmission loss in Louisiana is significant, with more than 1,000 transmission structures damaged or destroyed by the storm. Rebuilding the transmission system is essential to the overall restoration effort and will take weeks given the massive scale and complexity of the work. We will continue to coordinate closely to ensure the full capabilities of the industry and government are marshaled to rebuild this critical infrastructure as quickly as possible.”

Overall, about 75 percent of the power outages have been restored by some 29,000 utility workers, contractors, and assistance workers from 29 states, the District of Columbia, and Canada. Still, about 251,000 electricity customers remained without power as of 4 p.m. EDT on Sept. 2.

“We appreciate the ongoing leadership from DOE, DHS, and FEMA in helping to coordinate the industry’s response with federal, state, and local officials,” Tom Kuhn, president of the Edison Electric Institute (EEI), said. “Hurricane Laura caused heartbreaking, utter devastation to communities in Louisiana and Texas and catastrophic damage to the transmission system on a magnitude we rarely have seen as an industry. The transmission system is the backbone of the energy grid, and rebuilding it safely takes time. Crews will continue to work around-the-clock in their mission to restore power and hope to the customers and communities we are so privileged to serve.”

Joy Ditto, president and CEO of the American Public Power Association, said, she also appreciated the coordinated response between industry and government in order to advance the restoration efforts.

“Tens of thousands of workers were mobilized quickly and are making progress in restoring power in the face of extensive damage and challenging geographic locations, as well as ensuring appropriate pandemic response measures are taken,” Ditto said. “Workers continue to be redeployed to the hardest-hit areas where, in many cases, both the distribution and transmission infrastructure must be completely rebuilt before power can be restored.”

The ESCC also is coordinating with the industrial customers, manufacturing partners, and supplier networks to ensure that all needs are being met.

“The herculean effort required to recover from Hurricane Laura will be a marathon, not a sprint,” Jim Matheson, CEO of the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA), said. “In partnership with transmission system owners, the combined electric sector workforce is working determinedly to restore power as safely and quickly as possible. That will require creativity, communication, and a continued focus on our crews’ health and wellness in the coming weeks amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.”

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, crews are following additional protocols designed to keep them safe, but it does add another layer of complexity to the restoration process. Customers are urged not to approach crews and to remember the importance of social distancing.