Florida Power & Light Enhances Energy Grid With Planned Upgrades in Brevard County

Maintaining trees, vegetation is priority during hurricanes and extreme weather

BREVARD COUNTY, FLORIDA – Throughout 2024, Florida Power and Light Company plans to make the following upgrades in Brevard County as part of its ongoing commitment to avoid outages and restore power faster following severe weather.

In the Space Coast community, FPL is planning 143 Storm Secure Underground Program projects to replace overhead neighborhood power lines with more reliable underground lines. Maintaining trees and vegetation is also a priority, as it is a common cause of power outages, particularly during hurricanes and extreme weather, along 2,904 miles of power lines.

FPL crews are inspecting 16,518 power poles as part of an eight-year inspection cycle, strengthening or replacing those that no longer meet FPL’s industry-leading standards and inspecting 20 main power lines and equipment using infrared technology to detect issues before they cause a power interruption. 

FPL continuously leverages new and innovative technologies to improve reliability for its customers. This year, the company is piloting the installation of automated underground switches which will help detect and isolate outages, further enhancing reliability of underground lines.

Crews also use “smart trimming” technology to identify and trim a leading cause of power outages: trees and other vegetation contacting power lines. Smart trimming also helps the company identify areas of concern and assign the work electronically, saving inspection time.

SPACE COAST DAILY TV: With the 2024 hurricane season upon us, longtime Meteorologist and Space Coast Daily correspondent Danny Treanor offers some sage advice on how to prepare for the next six months.

Cumulative improvements in Brevard County: When the planned 2024 work is completed, FPL will have made the following improvements since 2006:  

■ Strengthened 215 main power lines, including those that serve critical services.  

■ Inspected and maintained vegetation near 12,356 miles of power lines – an average of 686 miles per year.   

■ Inspected 223,134 power poles for strength.

■ Installed smart grid technology, including 11,157 automated switches on main and neighborhood power lines.  

“We are so pleased to be able to offer these system upgrades to our customers in Palm Bay and Melbourne. Our dedicated team at FPL is committed to providing you with safe and reliable electric service,” said Eric Ago, local area manager at FPL. “These upgrades, including the very latest grid technology, will help get the lights back on faster after storms.”

An annual report filed March 1 with the Florida Public Service Commission details how FPL delivered the best service reliability in company history last year. In the most recent statistics from the U.S. Energy Information Administration, FPL’s service reliability was nearly three times better than the national average.

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