Line workers to help SWEPCO restore power after major winter storm
Tampa Electric has sent nearly 200 people to Louisiana to restore power after severe winter weather.
About 90 Tampa Electric line workers, tree trimmers, damage assessors and support personnel left at dawn today for the two-day drive to Shreveport, La., to help Southwestern Electric Power Co. (SWEPCO). They will help restore power as soon as it is safe to do so. Crews are prepared to stay for two weeks. Another 90 contractors left Monday to help Entergy Louisiana.
The crews will be using appropriate pandemic protocols, such as one person in each truck and hotel room, wearing masks, checking their temperature and properly disinfecting tools and other surfaces. Meals will be individually boxed, and crews will practice social distancing.
A major winter storm is affecting much of the United States, with persistent, widespread and extreme cold weather. SWEPCO is anticipating ice, snow and sleet in the area, with temperatures between 0 and 10 degrees. Widespread power outages are expected from the impacts of ice.
Tampa Electric is a member of the Southeastern Electric Exchange, or SEE, which is a network of utilities who pledge mutual assistance in case of a storm or other emergency. Crews supporting the restoration efforts of other utilities are paid by the host utility.
Tampa Electric, one of Florida’s largest investor-owned electric utilities, serves about 800,000 customers in West Central Florida. Tampa Electric is a subsidiary of Emera Inc., a geographically diverse energy and services company headquartered in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.
