FPL is upgrading their infrustructure in preparations of the 2024 storm season. [Photo by Andrey Metelev]
Florida Power & Light crews are implementing upgrades to the infrastructure in West Palm Beach and Wellington throughout 2024 to improve reliability and resilience, such as replacing overhead power lines with underground lines in a Palm Beach County neighborhood in February.
This year’s work includes installing automated underground switches, an element of smart grid technology that helps detect and isolate outages. FPL also is implementing “smart trimming” technology to identify and trim trees and other vegetation contacting power lines, a leading cause of outages, especially in severe weather.
FPL’s plans for West Palm Beach:
• Strengthen 20 main power lines, including those that serve critical community services.
• Maintain trees and vegetation along 314 miles of power lines.
• Inspect 5,408 power poles as part of an eight-year inspection cycle, strengthening or replacing those that are substandard.
• Install smart grid technology, including 1,174 intelligent devices on main and neighborhood power lines. These devices identify outages and reroute power around the trouble spots to prevent more widespread interruptions.
When that work is completed, FPL will have made the following improvements since 2006:
• Completed 31 Storm Secure Underground Program projects.
• Strengthened 63 main power lines.
• Inspected and maintained vegetation near 3,436 miles of power lines, an average of 191 miles per year.
• Inspected 37,576 power poles for strength.
• Installed 2,048 automated switches on main and neighborhood power lines as part of smart grid upgrades.
FPL’s 2024 plans for Wellington:
• Maintain trees and vegetation along 128 miles of power lines.
• Inspect 2,684 power poles as part of an eight-year inspection cycle, strengthening or replacing them as needed.
When that work is completed, FPL will have made the following improvements since 2006:
• Completed three SSUP projects.
• Strengthened 17 main power lines.
• Inspected and maintained vegetation near 1,872 miles of power lines, an average of 104 miles per year.
• Inspected 15,058 power poles for strength.
• Installed 395 automated switches on main and neighborhood power lines.
“We are so pleased to be able to offer these system upgrades to our customers in West Palm Beach and Wellington,” said Michael Fetto, FPL’s local area manager. “Our dedicated team at FPL is committed to providing you with safe and reliable electric service. These upgrades, including the very latest grid technology, will help get the lights back on faster after storms.”
An annual report filed on March 1 with the Florida Public Service Commission details how FPL delivered the best service reliability in company history last year. According to the most recent statistics from the U.S. Energy Information Administration, FPL’s service reliability was nearly three times the national average.
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