FPSC Electric Utility Infrastructure Workshop

Florida Municipal Electric Utilities

Alan ShafferAssistant General Manager - DeliveryLakeland Electric

January 23, 2006

Florida Public Power Utilities 33 Municipal Electric Utilities 1.3 Million customer meters (15% of

Floridians) Distribution

11,000 miles above ground 7,600 miles underground

Transmission 1,700 miles above ground 70 miles underground

300 substations Every storm impacted at least one

municipal electric utility

3

Florida’s Public Power Utilities

Winter Park

Winter Park

Reedy Creek

Nature of Storm Damage

Transmission System Most transmission systems had little to

no damage Kissimmee had 74 poles down after Charlie Keys Energy had sailboat masts into some

transmission

Nature of Storm Damage Distribution System

Vero Beach lost 100% of customers from Jeanne, Lakeland lost 80%

Minor to significant pole and wire failures Most caused from nearby tree/limb failures Lightning burning down wire Some pole failure attributed to successive storms

and water-softened earth Vehicles striking poles

Underground Some flooding in coastal and low areas Some uprooting from tree failures

Nature of Storm Damage

Substations Most experienced no substation damage

Keys Energy Transformer LTC flooding and 138kv breaker bushing flashover from salt contamination

JEA had 3 substation transformers fail within 1 week attributed to effects of repeated reclosing into distribution faults

Vero Beach had significant substation switchgear damage from water intrusion

Mutual Aid FMEA and APPA Mutual Aid Agreements

Utilized Executed by all FMEA-member utilities Coordinated through FMEA Executive Director

and Mutual Aid Coordinator Worked closely with electric cooperatives and

investor-owned utilities Supplied FPL with Florida and out-of-state crews

Received aid from not only Florida utilities but municipals as far as Texas, Kansas, Ohio, Wisconsin, and New England

Repair Standards All municipals utilizing external crews

assigned their own personnel to oversee work and maintain standards within reason (line and tree crews)

Performed post-restoration inspections to check reconstruction and make additional corrections

All utilities supplied most all their own standard material for their repairs

Vegetation Management Routine Distribution Maintenance

Most municipals have a 3-year trim cycle Keys Energy is limited to a 6-month growth trim

by local ordinance Tallahassee is on an 18-month cycle Some like Gainesville and Lakeland include

service drops Herbicides and growth retardant used Trimmed to four to six foot clearance Danger trees removed where possible Outage data used by some to target locations Joint tree trimming w/ telcos would be beneficial

Vegetation Management

Routine Transmission Maintenance Most municipals maintain an annual

inspection/trim cycle Jacksonville Beach and Gainesville

inspect semiannually Trimmed to 10 to 15 foot clearance

Vegetation Management

Post-Storm Inspection Most utilities inspect as part of the

system restoration inspection of outage areas

Some dependence on severity of storm event

Keys Energy and Jacksonville Beach inspect all transmission and main circuits

Pole Inspections

All municipals conduct pole inspections Most are 5 to 8-year cycle Include conductors and connections Tallahassee conducts pole-by-pole

inspections of circuits with highest number of interruptions

Undergrounding Have discussed undergrounding with community for

years Citizens appreciate learning the pros & cons

Undergrounding does not solve all “hurricane” outage problems

Many citizens reluctant to pay for cost of conversion, even with cost-sharing

Some utilities considering converting overhead lines to underground Winter Park beginning a selective conversion to

underground Vero Beach converting aging lines when justified Jacksonville Beach converting all overhead within 3

blocks from ocean

Design Changes Additional movement to spun concrete or steel poles and

higher wind load ratings Transmission and main line distribution Kissimmee - distribution with 3-phase banks or 3-phase risers

Over-insulating substation tie-lines to reduce salt intrusion outages near coast

Winter Park installing 3-phase gang-operated switches to speed sectionalizing, initiating an undergrounding program

Some relocating rear-lot easements to street right-of-ways Key West

Wind-load design of 165+ mph Using more concrete poles 8-hour battery backup for traffic lights Using more stainless steel hardware at some locations

Other Changes Several have shortened their pole and line clearance

inspection cycles and added more line clearance crews Several have become more aggressive with

removing/topping danger trees Customers more willing to agree with clearance activities

Majority experienced few repair material shortages but some storm stock inventory levels adjusted based on experiences. Vendor alliances

Several reported Emergency Operations Plan changes from lessons learned including: Revised personnel assignments Training substation or meter personnel to assist T&D Use retired personnel Making an earlier determination of mutual aid and

contract crew needs and securing logistical needs