Peter Schorsch
Meteorologists forecast an unusually active hurricane season this year, which began June 1 and runs through Nov. 30.
Tampa Electric, which serves 840,000 customers in West Central Florida, is storm-ready. The utility provider prepares and practices year-round to respond to severe weather and support recovery in the event of power outages.
Severe weather can damage power lines and other equipment, taking electricity customers offline. Tampa Electric has made strategic investments to mitigate damage and reduce the number of power outages and, for outages that do inevitably occur, the amount of time spent offline.
“Tampa Electric provides 99.9% service reliability in blue skies and gray,” according to a representative. “By modernizing the grid and working year-round to strengthen and bury select power lines, trim trees near power lines and improve substations, Tampa Electric remains prepared for a bright future.”
Since 2018, Tampa Electric’s investments have resulted in reduction of power outages by more than 30%, and amount of time by 40%.
One innovative approach implemented by Tampa Electric is the use of self-healing technology. The self-healing technology isolates outages and routes power to the problem area, shortening restoration times and keeping workers out of the field. Technologies like these increase the reliability of electricity through severe weather, increasing value for the customer.
In addition, Tampa Electric is working to convert power lines to underground. More than 240 miles have been moved underground since 2021. Today, about half the utility’s 12,000 miles of power lines are underground.
Other efforts achieved by Tampa Electric to prevent damage and power outages in the event of a storm include:
— Inspected nearly 36,000 wooden power poles, or 14%.
— Strengthened or replaced nearly 1,600 distribution power poles, or 4% of those inspected.
— Strengthened more than 700 transmission structures.
— Trimmed tree limbs and branches from about 2,500 miles of overhead power lines, or 33%.
Customers are already experiencing the benefits of Tampa Electric’s storm-hardening efforts. During Hurricane Ian, Tampa Electric’s storm-strengthened assets experienced no issues. Outside of Hurricane Ian, Tampa Electric customers saw fewer repeat power outages in 2023 – and they were shorter than the previous year.
In December, the National Weather Service (NWS) recognized Tampa Electric as a storm-ready community, praising the organization’s thoughtful work to prepare for the season ahead. TECO was the first organization in Florida to be recognized under this designation.
In addition to the efforts Tampa Electric has taken to prepare for storm season, the utility encouraged Floridians to prepare now for severe weather. Resources are available at Tampa Electric’s storm hub. There, customers can find helpful tips, sign up for alerts or report an outage.
