JUNO BEACH, Fla., Nov. 13, 2017 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ — Florida Power & Light Company (FPL) today announced that it mobilized and transported 1,000 power line poles, previously located in North Florida, to Port Canaveral and then to Puerto Rico to assist with the rebuilding of the electrical grid that was devastated by Hurricane Maria.
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In addition, senior leadership representing FPL accompanied Florida Gov. Rick Scott’s energy company delegation to the U.S. territory on Nov. 3. Since that time, FPL leadership has remained in Puerto Rico where it has been providing technical expertise and guidance to the restoration effort.
“As the destructive force of Hurricane Maria became apparent and even prior to completing our own Hurricane Irma-related restoration, FPL assembled a team of restoration professionals and made it known that we stood at the ready to offer our support to help rebuild Puerto Rico’s electrical infrastructure,” said Eric Silagy, president and CEO for FPL. “As we sought assistance from other energy companies in the aftermath of Hurricane Irma, we provide like support to those whose energy grid has been damaged by natural disasters and help bring life back to normal for our fellow Americans. In fact, 300 of our employees and contractors returned to Florida last week after helping restore power in Maine that was impacted by a Nor’easter last month.”
Leveraging decades of restoration experience, FPL leadership representing emergency preparedness, construction and power delivery operations, including Manny Miranda, senior vice president of power delivery, is working with their industry counterparts in Puerto Rico to help guide the rebuilding of the island’s energy grid.
The 1,000 power line poles were part of the company’s storm inventory that is stored near one of FPL’s substations in Flagler County. Thirty-three trucks delivered the poles to Port Canaveral where they will be loaded on a cargo ship scheduled to leave for Puerto Rico this week.
FPL continues to stand ready to provide whatever assistance is necessary should the company receive the request.
Florida Power & Light Company
Florida Power & Light Company is the third-largest electric utility in the United States, serving nearly 5 million customer accounts or an estimated 10 million people across nearly half of the state of Florida. FPL’s typical 1,000-kWh residential customer bill is approximately 25 percent lower than the latest national average and, in 2016, was the lowest in Florida among reporting utilities for the seventh year in a row. FPL’s service reliability is better than 99.98 percent, and its highly fuel-efficient power plant fleet is one of the cleanest among all utilities nationwide. The company received the top ranking in the southern U.S. among large electric providers, according to the J.D. Power 2016 Electric Utility Residential Customer Satisfaction StudySM, and was recognized in 2017 as one of the most trusted U.S. electric utilities by Market Strategies International. A leading Florida employer with approximately 8,900 employees, 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, ethics and diversity, and has been ranked No. 1 in the electric and gas utilities industry in Fortune’s 2017 list of “World’s Most Admired Companies.” 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 more information about NextEra Energy companies, visit these websites: www.NextEraEnergy.com, www.FPL.com, www.NextEraEnergyResources.com.
Editor’s Note: B-roll of poles being loaded at Flagler County substation: https://fpl.sharefile.com/d-s9d91d29ad5b4773a
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SOURCE Florida Power & Light Company
