In 2023, FPL plans to make a number of upgrades in Walton County as part of an ongoing effort to enhance day-to-day reliability and improve resiliency in the face of severe weather. These investments include moving more power lines underground, strengthening overhead lines and installing more intelligent devices along the energy grid to help detect potential problems and restore power faster when outages do occur. The investments have the added benefit of improving day-to-day reliability for customers as well.
2023 improvements in Walton County area – FPL plans to make the following improvements in and near Walton County this year:
- One Storm Secure Underground Program (SSUP) project planned. The program started in 2018 to replace overhead neighborhood lines with underground service.
- Strengthening three main power lines, including those that serve critical services and are necessary for communities to recover faster after major storms.
- Maintaining trees and vegetation – a common cause of power outages, particularly during hurricanes and severe weather – along 185 miles of power lines.
- Installing smart grid technology, including 10 automated switches on main and neighborhood power lines to help detect problems and restore service faster when outages occur.
- Inspecting three main power lines and equipment using infrared technology to detect issues before they cause a power interruption.
FPL made the following improvements in Walton County from 2019 – 2022:
- Strengthened 12 main power lines, including those that serve critical services.
- Inspected 1,952 power poles for strength.
- Installed smart grid technology, including 281 automated switches on main and neighborhood power lines.
- Inspected 96 main power lines and equipment using infrared technology.
“No energy grid is outage-proof, however we’ve made and are continuing to make significant investments to strengthen the grid to make it more resilient to severe weather,” said J.T. Young, vice president of FPL Northwest Florida. “These upgrades also benefit our customers each day by delivering more reliable service to power their homes and businesses.”
Strengthening power poles, managing trees and vegetation near power lines, installing smart grid technology to fix problems before they affect customers and using robots and drones to regularly inspect equipment have all helped FPL improve its service reliability by 41% since 2006. These upgrades have helped reduce both the number and duration of outages, as well as the number of momentary interruptions or power flickers.
SSUP is a concerted effort to place more neighborhood power lines underground. It is designed to help speed restoration efforts and reduce customer outages. FPL completed more than 1,200 projects since SSUP started and will expand the program in 2023, with about 750 projects planned across the state.
“Delivering more reliable service and being there for our customers when they need us most is part of the value we bring. This includes investing in innovative solutions and technology that help keep the lights on,” said Bernard Johnson, local senior external affairs manager for FPL. “We work year-round to ensure our customers in Northwest Florida experience fewer power interruptions and faster restorations after major storms.”
In 2022, for the seventh time in eight years, FPL was awarded the ReliabilityOne® National Reliability Award. Presented by PA Consulting, the award is widely regarded in the energy industry as one of the most prestigious honors and reinforces FPL’s commitment to provide customers with the nation’s most reliable service.
