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PSO Employees Recognized for Hurricane Ida Relief Efforts

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

When Hurricane Ida devastated Louisiana, over 100 employees and contractors from Public Service Company of Oklahoma (PSO) traveled 650 miles to help rebuild the Louisiana power grid, which had been severely damaged by 150 mph winds and flooding. The crews came from throughout Oklahoma, including the Tulsa, McAlester, and Lawton areas. Their efforts were recognized with the Edison Electric Institute's Emergency Response Award. This reflects PSO's commitment to mutual assistance and its understanding of the importance of a resilient electric grid.

Key Takeaways:

  • Over 100 PSO employees and contractors traveled 650 miles to help rebuild the Louisiana power grid after Hurricane Ida.
  • The crews came from throughout Oklahoma, including the Tulsa, McAlester, and Lawton areas.
  • The efforts were recognized with the Edison Electric Institute's Emergency Response Award.
  • PSO crews worked for 14 days under challenging conditions, including high temperatures, lack of facilities, washed out roads, and even alligators.
  • PSO Distribution Vice President Jennifer Ellis emphasized the importance of mutual assistance, stating that in Oklahoma, "we know about weather disasters, and we're always willing to help where we can."
  • PSO has approximately 562,000 customer accounts in eastern and southwestern Oklahoma.
  • PSO has over 22,000 miles of distribution lines and 3,700 miles of transmission lines.
  • PSO is one of the largest distributors of wind energy in the state.

Statistics:

  • Over 30,500 distribution poles were damaged by Hurricane Ida.
  • Approximately 6,000 transformers were damaged.
  • More than 36,500 spans of distribution wire were damaged.
  • About 500 transmission structures were damaged.
  • Over 225 substations were damaged.
  • 210 transmission lines were damaged.
  • PSO crews worked for 14 days to restore electricity to damaged areas.
  • PSO has approximately 3,800 megawatts of generating capacity fueled primarily by natural gas.

Sources:

  • Public Service Company of Oklahoma [Category: Power Transmission]
  • Edison Electric Institute's Emergency Response Award
  • American Electric Power (Nasdaq: AEP)

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