TECO strengthens power system with upgrades ahead of hurricane season
TAMPA, Fla. - Hurricane preparations are a year-round job for TECO.
Hurricane season officially starts on Saturday, but crews with Tampa Electric have been upgrading equipment and making changes to strengthen the power system in the Tampa Bay area.
Millions of dollars have been spent through the Storm Protection Program to replace power poles, strengthen transmission structures, trim tree limbs and transfer overhead power lines below ground.
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"Tampa Electric has about 12,000 miles of power lines," TECO spokeswoman Cherie Jacobs said.
Half of Tampa Electric’s power lines are underground. Since 2021, Tampa Electric said it’s converted 240 miles of power lines underground.
"Underground power lines are slightly more reliable than overhead power lines," Jacobs said. "And, especially in a situation like severe weather such as a hurricane, our underground power lines see fewer outages than our overhead lines during a storm situation."
Tampa Electric officials said underground power lines are susceptible to saltwater intrusion and flooding. In severe weather, much like a hurricane, crews are able to be proactive instead of reactive.
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"We look at that and determine if we need to shut that system down temporarily, so that if there's saltwater intrusion into those vaults, that the equipment, instead of being destroyed by the saltwater, it can be shut down, safely cleaned and put back in service," Jacobs said. "It reduces restoration time in an underground network."
When there is an outage, the alert comes through a main TECO hub, which monitors outages, crews and other operations. Crews are dispatched to repair outages and other damage.
"We call them a troubleshooter, to go verify the meter and then go from there," said Irma Lawrence, the manager of distribution control center with TECO. "So, we roll trucks out of this room."
If there’s a gas leak, crews from People’s Gas are working to get those lines back up and running. People’s Gas has a car designed to sense and pinpoint even the smallest sign of a leak within a 300-foot radius.
"Sometimes it can pick up a leak from the road when the leak is in the back of the house, or in an alley," Wael Khoury, an engineer with People’s Gas, said. "If we can't get to it, sometimes it's inaccessible, by the vehicle, we have what we call the micro guard."
Crews also have ground sensors which can reach areas that cars cannot.
"It measures and quantifies the level of methane and ethane in the air, which are the main constituents of natural gas," Khoury said.
When a hurricane hits, crews are working around the clock to repair damages. They hope these changes and upgrades will help prevent as many outages and as much damage as possible, as well as repair any damage that does happen as quickly as possible.
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