JUNO BEACH, Fla., Jan. 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Florida
Power & Light Company (FPL) today announced it has received Edison Electric Institute's (EEI) "Emergency Recovery" and
"Emergency Assistance" awards for its outstanding restoration efforts after Hurricanes Hermine and Matthew, and for assisting
neighbor utility Jacksonville Electric Authority (JEA) in its recovery efforts after Matthew.
"FPL's significant investments to make our system stronger, smarter and more resilient, and the unwavering dedication of our
team, including our employees and partners, were critical to our performance during Hurricanes Hermine and Matthew," said
Eric Silagy, president and CEO for FPL. "Thanks to our efforts to harden the electric system and
leverage advanced smart grid technology, we delivered outstanding results including fewer outages and faster restoration times
for our customers."
During Hurricane Hermine in September 2016, FPL crews worked safely and quickly to restore
service to 100 percent of its customers impacted by the storm within 24 hours of Hermine's passing, and customers experienced an
average outage duration of less than three hours. FPL's investments in smart grid automated switches also helped prevent 25,000
customer interruptions.
In October 2016, Hurricane Matthew, a Category 3 hurricane, impacted more than 1.2 million
customers across major portions of FPL's service area. The company's prompt response to the largest storm affecting Florida in
more than a decade was the most effective in company history. By strengthening its electric system and leveraging smart grid
technology, FPL restored 99 percent of customers affected by the end of two full days of restoration following Hurricane
Matthew's exit from its service area. Smart grid automated switches on FPL's system prevented approximately 118,000 customer
interruptions, and hardened distribution main power lines performed 30 percent better than non-hardened main power lines.
Furthermore, no FPL transmission poles and hardened main power line poles failed due to high winds.
FPL participates in a mutual assistance program with other electric utilities from across the nation. During Hurricane
Matthew, FPL received assistance from other utilities, as well as provided support to JEA to help get life back to normal for the
state.
"FPL's commitment to restore service for its customers safely and quickly, and lend a hand to its utility partner is
remarkable," said Tom Kuhn, president for EEI. "The company and its storm response team is
undoubtedly deserving of this national recognition."
The EEI Emergency Recovery and Assistance awards are presented twice annually to member companies to recognize their
extraordinary efforts to restore power to customers and assist other electric companies after service disruptions caused by
severe weather conditions or other natural events. The winners are chosen by a panel of judges following an international
nomination process, and awarded at EEI's winter Board of Directors and CEO meeting.
For more information, visit FPL.com/storm.
Florida Power & Light Company
Florida Power & Light Company is the third-largest electric utility in the United States, serving more than 4.8 million customer accounts or more than 10 million people across
nearly half of the state of Florida. FPL's typical 1,000-kWh residential customer bill is approximately 30 percent lower than the
latest national average and, in 2015, was the lowest in Florida among reporting utilities for
the sixth year in a row. FPL's service reliability is better than 99.98 percent, and its highly fuel-efficient power plant fleet
is one of the cleanest among all utilities nationwide. The company received the top ranking in the southern U.S. among large
electric providers, according to the J.D. Power 2016 Electric Utility Residential Customer Satisfaction StudySM, and was
recognized in 2016 as one of the most trusted U.S. electric utilities by Market Strategies International. A leading Florida
employer with approximately 8,800 employees, FPL is a subsidiary of Juno Beach, Fla.-based
NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE: NEE), a clean energy company widely recognized for its efforts in sustainability, ethics and
diversity, and has been ranked No. 1 in the electric and gas utilities industry in Fortune's 2016 list of "World's Most Admired
Companies." NextEra Energy is also the parent company of NextEra Energy Resources, LLC, which, together with its affiliated
entities, is the world's largest generator of renewable energy from the wind and sun. For more information about NextEra Energy
companies, visit these websites: www.NextEraEnergy.com, www.FPL.com, www.NextEraEnergyResources.com.
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SOURCE Florida Power & Light Company