Florida Power & Light Company (FPL) continues to upgrade its system in the Doral area as part of its ongoing work to strengthen the energy grid and improve service reliability for customers. Company investments, which include strengthening power lines and poles, trimming trees near power lines, and installing smart grid technology, help make the grid more reliable day-to-day and speed restoration efforts following a major storm.
“We continue to build a stronger and smarter electric grid to provide our customers with reliable service year-round,” said Eric Silagy, president and CEO of FPL. “Our ongoing investments in FPL’s energy grid and advanced smart grid technology help us deliver electricity our customers can count on in good weather and bad.”
Silagy says this was evident during FPL’s restoration efforts after recent hurricanes, including Hurricane Irma, during which they responded quickly – considering the size and scope of the storm and compared to Hurricane Wilma, the last major storm to affect this service area.
FPL’s investments to the grid proved its benefits to customers by speeding the restoration efforts following Hurricane Irma. About 95 percent of customers had their power restored within seven days after the storm’s passing compared to 15 days after 2005’s Hurricane Wilma.
Hardened or strengthened main power lines withstood the storm’s impact better than those that were not hardened. For example, a fraction of the number of poles was damaged in Hurricane Irma compared to Hurricane Wilma. Smart grid technology enabled customers to avoid about 546,000 outages during the storm.
Strengthened power lines perform 40 percent better than non-strengthened lines, improving everyday reliability throughout the year and speeding restoration efforts during severe weather such as summer thunderstorms.
2018 improvements in Doral
When the planned 2018 work is completed, FPL will have made the following improvements in and around Doral since 2006:
• Strengthened 14 main power lines, including those that serve critical services, such as Miami-Dade County Police Department’s MidWest District station, Baptist Medical Plaza at Doral, and a 9-1-1 emergency communications center, that are necessary for communities to recover faster after a storm;
• Cleared tree branches and vegetation — a major cause of power outages — from 746 miles of power lines, an average of 62 miles every year;
• Inspected all 2,785 power poles every eight years, strengthening or replacing those that no longer meet FPL’s standards for strength;
• Installed smart grid technology, including 108 automated switches on main and neighborhood power lines to help detect problems and restore service faster when outages occur; and
• Inspected 71 main power lines and equipment using infrared technology to detect issues before they cause a power interruption.
“FPL has the most reliable service of any energy company in Florida, but we’re never satisfied,” said Manny Miranda, senior vice president of power delivery for FPL. “We’re working hard every day to provide our customers within the Doral area with electric service they can count on. This includes several new improvement projects in the area, including Miami-Dade County Aviation and Miami-Dade County Fire Rescue Station 48.”
Since 2006, FPL has invested more than $3 billion, as well as ongoing maintenance and improvement work across Florida, to make the energy grid stronger and smarter. This has included strengthening 860 main power lines, clearing vegetation, and inspecting the company’s 1.2 million power poles every eight years.
Florida Power & Light Company
Florida Power & Light Company is the third-largest electric utility in the U.S., serving 5 million customer accounts or an estimated 10 million-plus people across half of the state of Florida. The company was recognized in 2017 as one of the most trusted U.S. electric utilities by Market Strategies International for the fourth consecutive year. A leading Florida employer with approximately 8,700 employees, FPL is a subsidiary of Juno Beach, Florida-based NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE: NEE). NextEra Energy is also the parent company of NextEra Energy Resources, LLC, which, together with its affiliated entities, is the world’s largest generator of renewable energy from the wind and sun.
For information about NextEra Energy companies, visit: www.NextEraEnergy.com, www.FPL.com, or www.NextEraEnergyResources.com.
