Duke Energy wins award for its successful restoration effort after Winter Storm Jonas
CHICAGO, June 14, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The Edison Electric Institute (EEI) today presented Duke Energy with the association's Emergency Recovery Award for its outstanding power restoration efforts after Winter Storm Jonas assaulted the Carolinas earlier this year.
The award is presented twice annually to EEI member companies in recognition of their extraordinary efforts to restore power to customers after service disruptions caused by severe weather conditions or other natural events.
Duke Energy has earned the award 12 times since EEI began presenting it in 1998.
The winners were chosen by a panel of judges following an international nomination process, and the awards were presented during EEI's annual convention in Chicago.
Jonas brought significant accumulations of freezing rain, snow and wrap-around winds to the Carolinas in late January, causing more than 604,000 customers to lose power.
The wintry precipitation brought down trees, resulting in downed wires and significant damage to power poles. Wrap-around winds continued after the snow and ice pounded the Carolinas, creating additional outages and impeding restoration progress.
Almost 7,000 line and tree personnel, including crews from Duke Energy's Midwest and Florida operations and mutual assistance partners, quickly mobilized to begin restoring power to customers. Four days after the storm passed, service had been restored to everyone affected.
"Duke Energy's terrific effort to restore service in the wake of Winter Storm Jonas exemplifies our industry's commitment to customer service," said EEI President Tom Kuhn. "The company's crews who braved four days of difficult and dangerous conditions to quickly and safely restore service to customers, are greatly deserving of this honor."
"We are proud and humbled to be recognized by our peers for serving our customers in the storm's aftermath," said Lloyd Yates, Duke Energy's executive vice president of market solutions and president of the Carolinas region. "The work was extensive and exhausting, but when our customers relied on us most, we rose to the occasion.
"It takes monumental support from the entire team to prepare and respond to these challenging weather conditions. The entire team shares in earning this respected award for their selfess work," he added.
About EEI
EEI is the association that represents all U.S. investor-owned electric companies. Our members provide electricity for 220 million Americans, operate in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, and directly employ more than 500,000 workers. EEI has 70 international electric companies as Affiliate Members, and 270 industry suppliers and related organizations as Associate Members.
About Duke Energy
Headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., Duke Energy is a S&P 100 Stock Index company traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol DUK. More information about the company is available at duke-energy.com.
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SOURCE Duke Energy
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