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How can Florida keep the lights on?

A Public Service Commission workshop looks at shielding power supplies from storms. One theme: Go underground.

By LOUIS HAU
Published January 24, 2006

TALLAHASSEE - After two severe hurricane seasons in a row, pressure is mounting on Florida's electric utilities to ensure that their electrical systems are prepared for the next round of storms.

To that end, the staff of the Florida Public Service Commission convened a workshop Monday to discuss ways companies might better protect their power-delivery infrastructure from the ravages of hurricanes.

None of the proposals discussed during Monday's workshop broke new ground. And expectations about what might result of the discussions could be dampened by the PSC's reputation among consumer advocates as a lenient utility regulator.

David McDonald, director of distribution asset management for Progress Energy Florida, warned that efforts to clear vegetation far away from power lines remain hampered by local ordinances that can limit how much utilities can trim.

Noting that some customers get their electricity from power lines that run through their back yards, McDonald suggested that utilities and regulators consider moving such lines to the right-of-way located in front of a customer's home, where they are less vulnerable to flying debris in the event of a hurricane.

Paul Davis, director of Tampa Electric's Energy Control Center, was one of several utility officials who acknowledged the growing calls for placing more power lines underground. Like most Florida utilities, Tampa Electric installs the majority of power lines in new residential developments underground.

Much of the cost of such installations are included in the price paid by the new homeowner. But placing existing overhead power lines underground poses a challenge because of the high cost that must be shouldered by residents. Davis also noted that the vulnerability of an area to storm surge during a hurricane must be considered before moving power lines underground, where they can be damaged by flooding and take far longer to repair than overhead lines.

Such concerns didn't dissuade advocates of underground power lines. Charles Falcone, a member of the town commission of Jupiter Island in Martin County, pointed out that placing power lines underground has unique advantages in Florida, given the frequency of lightning and hurricanes, as well as the fact that sea water spray can contaminate power line insulators and rapid tree and vegetation growth can get tangled in overhead lines faster than in more temperate climates.

Monday's gathering was the first of its kind in Florida in recent memory and reflects a change in the tone of the debate over utility preparations for hurricanes.

That change is rooted partly in differences between the storm seasons of 2004 and 2005.

The devastation wrought by Hurricanes Charley, Frances, Ivan and Jeanne in 2004 was focused mostly on relatively lightly populated areas, such as Charlotte, Polk and Escambia counties. The state's electric utilities generally drew praise from local municipalities for their efforts to restore power.

But residents and political leaders in densely populated South Florida were feeling far less magnanimous following the widespread and prolonged outages caused last year by Hurricane Wilma. The result has been a backlash against Florida Power & Light of Juno Beach, the state's largest electric utility.

Coupled with the growing apprehension that the state may be settling into a prolonged period of severe storms, anger over the number and duration of FPL's post-Wilma power outages has spurred calls in Tallahassee to keep utilities more accountable for their hurricane preparations.

State Sen. Ron Klein, D-Boca Raton, has introduced a bill calling for the formation of a nine-member "Utility Preparedness Task Force" to prepare a report for the governor about how the state might improve its electricity infrastructure. It is one of several bills that recommends serious consideration of undergrounding power lines.

Meanwhile, the PSC staff is scheduled to present the commission with recommendations on Feb. 27 about what course of action it should consider taking.

While it isn't yet clear whether this flurry of activity will result in real changes, some hope that anger generated by Wilma will spur meaningful action.

Falcone, a retired executive with American Electric Power of Columbus, Ohio, said he hopes utilities might become motivated to make improvements on their own, before the state government takes matters into its own hands.

But, he added, "If the pressure comes off, they'll go back to business as usual."

--Louis Hau can be reached at 813 226-3404 or hau@sptimes.com

[Last modified January 24, 2006, 00:55:20]