Tampa Electric marks 2024 with milestones, challenges and resilience

Image via Tampa Electric.

As the year draws to a close, Tampa Electric (TECO) reflected on the achievements, challenges and milestones that defined 2024.

“From celebrating a storied legacy to weathering historic hurricanes, TECO’s commitment to powering communities with reliable, sustainable and innovative energy solutions remains steadfast,” said Archie Collins, President and CEO of Tampa Electric.

Celebrating 125 years of service

The year marked Tampa Electric’s 125th anniversary of service. In 1899, the company had 28 employees and 1,200 customers. Today, it serves more than 840,000 customers and employs nearly 2,500 people. Starting with downtown Tampa’s first streetlight, the company has grown to oversee more than 200,000 energy-efficient LED streetlights and increased its electric generating capacity from just a few megawatts to more than 6,400. Tampa Electric looks forward to a future focused on an innovative, evolving and resilient energy grid.

A record year for manatees

This year, TECO’s award-winning Manatee Viewing Center celebrated a milestone with a record 1,100 manatees seeking warmth in the winter at the Big Bend Power Station. This number eclipses the previous record of 850 and included a rare sighting of twin baby manatees.

Manatees are seasonal visitors that are attracted to the warm, clean water used to cool the Big Bend Power Station.

TECO’s commitment to educating the public about the threatened species spans decades. Since opening in 1986, the Manatee Viewing Center has welcomed more than 7 million visitors, fostering an appreciation for these gentle giants. The center also plays a crucial role in manatee rescue and rehabilitation. Its special accommodations for manatee releases are ideal for rehabilitation partners like ZooTampa, Clearwater Marine Aquarium Research Institute, SeaWorld and Epcot. Rehabilitated manatees are frequently released into the warm waters near the power station and are tracked to ensure their continued health.

The Manatee Viewing Center is part of the innovative environmental initiatives taking place at Tampa Electric’s Florida Conservation & Technology Center.

Transforming the Apollo Beach skyline

A significant change to Apollo Beach’s skyline came with the demolition of two 500-foot chimneys at the Big Bend Power Station as part of a modernization project expected to save customers more than $700 million over its 30-year lifespan. In the past two decades, via innovative improvements, Tampa Electric reduced its use of coal to less than 1% of its fuel mix.

Overcoming a historic hurricane season

The 2024 hurricane season tested TECO’s resilience and preparedness. After Hurricane Helene brought coastal storm surges, Hurricane Milton’s record-breaking winds and flooding marked the most intense hurricane impact the Tampa Bay area has experienced in over a century.

Over the course of the two hurricanes, the company brought in 9,500 lineworkers from around the United States and Canada, which allowed speedy restoration. With the help of those crews and years of strategic investments in grid resilience, Tampa Electric restored essentially all power after Hurricanes Helene and Milton in one and seven days, respectively. Collaboration with the visiting crews and community partners was instrumental in clearing roads, ensuring safety, and expediting recovery efforts.

Today, 52% of Tampa Electric’s distribution system is underground. Each year, that percentage increases through the company’s Storm Protection Plan investments, which significantly bolster the region’s resilience against future storms.

In the wake of the hurricanes, Tampa Electric donated shareholder funds to support the community and customers as they recovered. The first contribution of $250,000 followed Hurricane Helene and went to Metropolitan Ministries, United Way Suncoast and Feeding Tampa Bay to support their hurricane response and recovery initiatives in the region. As the year drew to a close, the company contributed an additional $1 million to the TECO Share program, which provides direct relief to people who need help to pay their energy bills.

Empowering careers through line worker training

In 2023, Tampa Electric joined forces with Hillsborough Community College (HCC) to create an Electrical Line Worker Training Program. In 2024, the program had 40 graduates, with 13 entering the energy sector and six opting to continue their education.

The Electrical Line Worker Training Program is an innovative workforce development initiative aimed at meeting the growing demand for skilled workers in Florida’s utility sector while removing financial barriers, providing sustainable career paths for the community and ensuring the long-term reliability of the state’s energy infrastructure.

TECO worked with HCC to develop the curriculum, provide instructors and build a training yard. The training yard offers hands-on learning with tall poles to practice skills such as pole-climbing. TECO also provided scholarships for 42 students in 2024.

“This was everything that I needed to pursue the dream of becoming a lineman,” said graduate Joshua Murray. “I definitely appreciate HCC and TECO for all their efforts and hard work in making this possible.”

So far, eight program graduates have joined the ranks as apprentice line workers at Tampa Electric, and each of them played a crucial role during the company’s 2024 hurricane recovery efforts.

Looking ahead

Resilience, innovation and community strength defined 2024 for Tampa Electric. As the company reflects on this year’s progress, it remains committed to building a brighter and more sustainable future for the communities it will serve in 2025 and beyond.