The latest: Florida Power & Light Company (FPL) is challenging its employees with a simulated Category 4 hurricane during the company’s annual storm drill this week. As part of FPL’s extensive year-round focus on storm preparation, this week-long drill helps employees prepare to respond when customers need them most.
By the numbers: FPL has invested in a stronger, smarter and more storm-resilient energy grid that benefits customers by improving the speed of restoration and reducing outage times following severe weather.
These grid enhancements include:
- Smart Grid – Installing more than 215,000 intelligent devices along the energy grid to detect and prevent outages, and minimize restoration times when outages occur. In recent years, smart-grid technology helped avoid more than 600,000 outages combined during significant hurricane events.
- Undergrounding – Replacing more overhead neighborhood power lines with more reliable underground lines through the Storm Secure Underground Program. These lines perform significantly better during severe weather, up to 12 times better during previous hurricanes.
- Hardening – Strengthening nearly all main power lines serving critical community facilities and services. More than 76% of these lines are now hardened or underground. FPL has also replaced nearly all of its transmission structures with steel or concrete.
A word from FPL Vice President of Power Delivery Ed De Varona: “At FPL, we operate under the premise that it is a matter of when – not if – a major storm will strike. That’s why we prepare year-round and why we are relentlessly focused on building a resilient grid and drilling on preparation and restoration. Our customers should know that we are prepared for the upcoming hurricane season. But, they should also know that no system is stormproof and that they should share our commitment and prepare their own emergency plans.”
What customers can do: While FPL’s year-round preparation and grid enhancements improve restoration times, no energy grid is stormproof. Now is the time for FPL customers to begin thinking about their hurricane preparedness plans while there is not a storm on Florida’s doorstep. Customers can visit FPL.com/Storm for helpful tips for their home and/or business.
We urge customers to consider some of the following plans:
- Create a storm plan for you and your loved ones, especially for those who have medically essential power needs.
- Hire a qualified professional to trim trees growing near power lines to minimize the impact it may have on your home or neighborhood during severe weather.
- Stock up on batteries and flashlights in case you experience a power outage.
- If you have a generator, study the manufacturer’s instructions to ensure safe operations.
- Download the FPL mobile app as the most effective resource to stay in touch with us following a storm.
About FPL
As America’s largest electric utility, Florida Power & Light Company serves more customers and sells more power than any other utility, providing clean, affordable, reliable electricity to approximately 5.9 million accounts, or more than 12 million people. FPL operates one of the most fuel efficient and cleanest power generation fleets in the U.S. and in 2022 won the ReliabilityOne® National Reliability Award for the seventh time in the last eight years. The company was also recognized by Escalent in 2022 as one of the most trusted U.S. electric utilities for the ninth consecutive year. FPL is a subsidiary of Juno Beach, Florida-based NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE: NEE), a clean energy company widely recognized for its efforts in sustainability, corporate responsibility, ethics and compliance, and diversity. NextEra Energy is ranked No. 1 in the electric and gas utilities industry in Fortune’s 2023 list of “World’s Most Admired Companies” and recognized on Fortune’s 2021 list of companies that “Change the World.” 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 and a world leader in battery storage. For more information about NextEra Energy companies, visit these websites: www.NextEraEnergy.com, www.FPL.com, www.NextEraEnergyResources.com.
Florida Power & Light Company (FPL) provided the most reliable electric service in company history in 2023. Over the past two decades, FPL customers have realized a remarkable 45% improvement in reliability.
The 2023 hurricane season ends today, and thankfully FPL customers were spared a direct hit. While not everyone was spared, FPL's investments in strengthening the energy grid are paying dividends and improving our resilience against Florida's increasingly severe weather.
FPL's logistics expert, Ben Brodbeck, discusses the art of hurricane recovery and year-round preparedness.