Entergy Receives EEI 2012 Emergency Recovery and Assistance Awards

NEW ORLEANS, Jan. 10, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- The Edison Electric Institute today honored Entergy Corporation with the association's 2012 Emergency Recovery Award and Emergency Assistance Award for its work restoring power to its own customers following Hurricane Isaac and to customers of other utilities after Hurricane Sandy and last June's derecho weather event.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120913/MM74349LOGO)

This is the 15th consecutive year Entergy has received an EEI national storm restoration award.

"Entergy was faced with a major restoration effort following Hurricane Isaac," said EEI President Tom Kuhn. "Getting the lights back on quickly and safely is never easy following these natural disasters. It takes strong commitment, advanced planning and great execution. Entergy responded with all three, and their assistance shows their compassion in helping others in their time of need. They're a great example for the nation's electric power industry. I congratulate them."

The electric power industry's Emergency Recovery and Assistance Awards have been presented each year since 1998 to EEI member electric utility companies. The recovery award recognizes extraordinary efforts undertaken to restore electrical service following severe weather conditions or natural events. The assistance award recognizes electric service restoration efforts to another utility company that has been disrupted by severe weather conditions or other natural events.

"This makes 19 awards our company has won in 15 years and keeps alive our record of being the only utility in the country to receive at least one of these awards in every year since they were initiated," said Greg Grillo, system storm incident commander for Entergy. "It truly is a testament to the abilities of our employees to safely and quickly restore service to utility customers no matter where severe weather strikes."

Hurricane Isaac made the first of two landfalls near Plaquemines, La., on Aug. 28, 2012. The storm disrupted power for 769,000 customers and affected approximately 30 percent of the Entergy distribution system, 95 transmission lines and 144 substations. Based on customers out of service, Hurricane Isaac was Entergy's fourth-worst storm, after hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Gustav.

The June 29, 2012, derecho, a severe straight-line wind event, was one of the most destructive and deadly severe thunderstorm systems in North American history. The powerful storm moved over 600 miles in approximately 10 hours, knocking out power to 4.2 million customers in 11 states and the District of Columbia. Entergy sent 415 company employees, plus contractors, to Kentucky, Virginia and West Virginia for 15 days to help restore service to customers of Kentucky Power and Appalachian Power.

Hurricane Sandy made landfall on the southern New Jersey coast on Oct. 29, pounding more than 900 miles of the Eastern Seaboard, from Virginia to Maine, with high winds, storm surge and heavy rain. At the peak, 9.6 million customers in more than 12 states were affected. Entergy sent 675 employees, plus contractors, to help customers of PHI, PECO, Public Service Gas & Electric and Consolidated Edison. The company also supplied workers to meet special requests for call center help, scouting teams and underground network personnel to assist in repairing the lower Manhattan underground electrical grid after it had been severely damaged by saltwater flooding.

The Edison Electric Institute is the association of U.S. shareholder-owned electric companies. Its members serve 95 percent of the ultimate customers in the shareholder-owned segment of the industry and represent approximately 70 percent of the U.S. electric power industry. The group also has more than 65 international electric companies as affiliate members and more than 170 industry suppliers and related organizations as associate members.

Entergy Corporation, which celebrates its 100th birthday this year, is an integrated energy company engaged primarily in electric power production and retail distribution operations. Entergy owns and operates power plants with approximately 30,000 megawatts of electric generating capacity, including more than 10,000 megawatts of nuclear power, making it one of the nation's leading nuclear generators. Entergy delivers electricity to 2.8 million utility customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. Entergy has annual revenues of more than $11 billion and approximately 15,000 employees.

Entergy's online address is entergy.com

SOURCE Entergy Corporation