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ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., Oct. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Duke Energy Florida continues to make major progress as it works to restore power to all customers in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian.
"Duke Energy Florida continues to press ahead and restore outages throughout our territory. Our customers have been patient, but they are anxious to have power restored," said Todd Fountain, Duke Energy Florida storm director. "There are hard-hit areas that will require more extensive work. But we are not stopping until all customers are restored."
The estimated time of restoration (ETR) for the company's hardest-hit counties has not changed:
As of 2 p.m., the company had restored more than 930,000 customers, with 77,000 customers still without power. Duke Energy Florida serves 1.9 million customers in the state.
Fountain added that while greatly improved weather conditions have aided efforts, the company is still facing local flooding and other access challenges – especially in the central and eastern counties.
Crews that have completed restorations in other areas are now joining forces, and Duke Energy Florida is concentrating its full workforce into these harder-hit areas. Click here for information on how Duke Energy restores power.
Reasons why you may not receive power by the expected time
We do our best to ensure our estimates are as accurate as possible, but we occasionally must adjust those times as we uncover additional damage or problems with access.
Sometimes, customers may see a neighbor's lights come back on while they are still without power. A few explanations:
If your home or business is flooded, Duke Energy cannot reconnect power until the electrical system has been inspected by a licensed electrician. If there is damage, an electrician will need to make repairs and obtain verification from your local building inspection authority before power can be restored.
If the meter box is pulled away from a customer's house or mobile home service pole and power is not being received, the homeowner is responsible for contacting an electrician to reattach the meter box and/or provide a permanent fix. In some instances, an electrical inspection may be required by the county before Duke Energy can reconnect service. An electrician can advise customers on next steps.
For rooftop solar owners, solar panels don't guarantee power during an outage since they operate partly using energy from Duke Energy's grid. Two exceptions are installing an off-grid solar system or installing a method of energy storage, such as batteries.
Keeping customers informed
Customers who experience a power outage can report it the following ways:
There is also an interactive outage map where customers can find up-to-date information on power outages, including the total number of outages systemwide and estimated times of restoration.
The company also will provide regular updates to customers and communities through emails, text messages, outbound phone calls, social media and its website, which includes power outage maps.
Safety recommendations
For more tips during and after the storm, visit duke-energy.com/StormTips.
For company updates, visit dukeenergyupdates.com.
Duke Energy Florida
Duke Energy Florida, a subsidiary of Duke Energy, owns 10,300 megawatts of energy capacity, supplying electricity to 1.9 million residential, commercial and industrial customers across a 13,000-square-mile service area in Florida.
Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK), a Fortune 150 company headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., is one of America's largest energy holding companies. Its electric utilities serve 8.2 million customers in North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky, and collectively own 50,000 megawatts of energy capacity. Its natural gas unit serves 1.6 million customers in North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Ohio and Kentucky. The company employs 28,000 people.
Duke Energy is executing an aggressive clean energy transition to achieve its goals of net-zero methane emissions from its natural gas business and at least a 50% carbon reduction from electric generation by 2030 and net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. The 2050 net-zero goals also include Scope 2 and certain Scope 3 emissions. In addition, the company is investing in major electric grid enhancements and energy storage, and exploring zero-emission power generation technologies such as hydrogen and advanced nuclear.
Duke Energy was named to Fortune's 2022 "World's Most Admired Companies" list and Forbes' "America's Best Employers" list. More information is available at duke-energy.com. The Duke Energy News Center contains news releases, fact sheets, photos and videos. Duke Energy's illumination features stories about people, innovations, community topics and environmental issues. Follow Duke Energy on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook.
Media contact: Audrey Stasko
Cell: 315.877.3031
Media line: 800.559.3853
Twitter: @DE_AudreyS
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SOURCE Duke Energy