FPL reports best-ever electric service reliability for customers in 2013; maintains its position as one of the most reliable electric utilities in the nation
More than $1.4 billion invested since 2006 has resulted in:
- Cleared trees and vegetation from more than 100,000 miles of distribution power lines
- More than 1 million utility poles (distribution) inspected
- More than 450 main power lines strengthened (serving critical infrastructure facilities and other community needs)
March 3, 2014

JUNO BEACH, Fla., March 3, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Florida Power & Light Company (FPL) today announced as part of its annual filing with the Florida Public Service Commission that 2013 was a record-setting year for electric system reliability. For the second consecutive year, FPL achieved its best-ever overall reliability performance, based upon the average time a typical customer was without electric service (System Average Interruption Duration Index), considered the utility industry's best overall reliability indicator. Since 2006, FPL has invested more than $1.4 billion as part of its efforts to improve electric service reliability.

www.FPL.com

"FPL recognizes that reliable electric service and low bills are at the core of the value proposition we provide our customers," said Eric Silagy, president of FPL. "During the last two years alone, we've made significant progress, reducing the average time a customer was without service by 21 percent. The investments we are making to enhance our electric system, coupled with the continued installation of smart grid technologies throughout the FPL network, are clearly benefiting customers. While we're proud to deliver more than 99.98 percent service reliability, we remain laser-focused on doing all we can to provide the greatest reliability for all of our customers."

Today's filing highlights FPL's efforts to upgrade its distribution and transmission systems to better withstand severe weather and enable the company to restore service more quickly following storm-related outages. The distribution system includes neighborhood power lines and equipment that deliver electricity to homes and businesses. The transmission infrastructure includes high-voltage lines that deliver electricity from power plants to the distribution system.

In addition to outlining FPL's major progress in 2013 to reinforce the electric grid, the filing also includes the company's planned work in 2014:

  • Completed the inspection of more than 1 million distribution poles. FPL examined 138,000 distribution poles for strength in 2013, completing the inspection of 1,076,000 poles since 2006. In addition, FPL continued to reinforce or replace poles that no longer met its standards for strength. In 2014, the company has begun its second eight-year inspection cycle and plans to examine more than 130,000 distribution poles.
  • Inspected all of FPL's more than 65,000 transmission poles/structures. FPL performed a visual inspection of its entire inventory of transmission system structures. In 2014, the company again will examine 100 percent of its transmission structures.
  • Cleared vegetation from 15,800 miles of power lines. FPL continued its year-round program to proactively clear tree limbs, palm fronds and other vegetation from its distribution lines. Vegetation growing near power lines is a common cause of outages, and the company has a year-round program to proactively clear its lines. In 2014, FPL plans to clear an additional 15,000 miles of power lines to enhance service reliability.

FPL expects 2014 to be its most ambitious year on record in terms of strengthening its electric system to better withstand major storms. The company is investing more than $170 million in major upgrades to nearly 100 main power lines and other infrastructure to help communities recover more quickly following major storms and improve everyday reliability for its customers. The effort is part of FPL's three-year (2013-2015) plan to invest more than $428 million in system upgrades to better withstand severe weather.

For more details about FPL's 2014 system-strengthening program, see the company's news release issued on Feb. 24.

Florida Power & Light Company
Florida Power & Light Company is the largest rate-regulated electric utility in Florida and serves the third-largest number of customers of any electric utility in the United States. FPL serves approximately 4.7 million customer accounts and is a leading Florida employer with approximately 8,900 employees as of year-end 2013. FPL's typical 1,000-kWh residential bill is the lowest among reporting electric utilities in Florida as of year-end 2013, and based on data available in July 2013, is about 28 percent below the national average. A clean energy leader, FPL has one of the lowest emissions profiles and one of the leading energy efficiency programs among utilities nationwide. FPL delivered better than 99.98 percent service reliability as of year-end 2013. FPL has earned the national ServiceOne Award for outstanding customer service for an unprecedented 10 consecutive years. FPL is a subsidiary of Juno Beach, Fla.-based NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE: NEE). For more information, visit www.FPL.com.

Cautionary Statements and Risk Factors That May Affect Future Results
This press release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements are not statements of historical facts, but instead represent the current expectations of NextEra Energy, Inc. (together with its subsidiaries, NextEra Energy) regarding future operating results and other future events, many of which, by their nature, are inherently uncertain and outside of NextEra Energy's control. In some cases, you can identify the forward-looking statements by words or phrases such as "will," "will result," "expect," "anticipate," "believe," "intend," "plan," "seek," "aim," "potential," "projection," "forecast," "predict," "goals," "target," "outlook," "should," "would" or similar words or expressions. You should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which are not a guarantee of future performance. 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These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the following: effects of extensive regulation of NextEra Energy's business operations; inability of NextEra Energy to recover in a timely manner any significant amount of costs, a return on certain assets or an appropriate return on capital through base rates, cost recovery clauses, other regulatory mechanisms or otherwise; impact of political, regulatory and economic factors on regulatory decisions important to NextEra Energy; risks of disallowance of cost recovery based on a finding of imprudent use of derivative instruments; effect of any reductions to or elimination of governmental incentives that support renewable energy projects; impact of new or revised laws, regulations or interpretations or other regulatory initiatives on NextEra Energy; effect on NextEra Energy of potential regulatory action to broaden the scope of regulation of over-the-counter (OTC) financial derivatives and to apply such regulation to NextEra Energy; 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inability to operate any owned nuclear generation units through the end of their respective operating licenses; liability for increased nuclear licensing or compliance costs resulting from hazards posed to owned nuclear generation facilities; risks associated with outages of owned nuclear units; effect of disruptions, uncertainty or volatility in the credit and capital markets on NextEra Energy's ability to fund its liquidity and capital needs and meet its growth objectives; inability to maintain current credit ratings; risk of impairment of liquidity from inability of creditors to fund their credit commitments or to maintain their current credit ratings; poor market performance and other economic factors that could affect NextEra Energy's defined benefit pension plan's funded status; poor market performance and other risks to the asset values of nuclear decommissioning funds; changes in market value and other risks to certain of NextEra Energy's investments; effect of inability of NextEra Energy subsidiaries to upstream dividends or repay funds to NextEra Energy or of NextEra Energy's performance under guarantees of subsidiary obligations on NextEra Energy's ability to meet its financial obligations and to pay dividends on its common stock; and effect of disruptions, uncertainty or volatility in the credit and capital markets of the market price of NextEra Energy's common stock. NextEra Energy discusses these and other risks and uncertainties in its annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2012 and other SEC filings, and this press release should be read in conjunction with such SEC filings made through the date of this press release. The forward-looking statements made in this press release are made only as of the date of this press release and NextEra Energy undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements.

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SOURCE Florida Power & Light Company

For further information: FPL Media Line, +1-561-694-4442