DUKE ENERGY CORPORATION CHARLOTTE, N.C., June 11, 2019 /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 Diego hit the Carolinas in December 2018.
The Emergency Recovery Award is given to select EEI member companies to recognize their extraordinary efforts to restore power to customers after service disruptions caused by severe weather conditions or other natural events.
The winners are chosen by a panel of judges following an international nomination process. Duke Energy received the award in Philadelphia during EEI 2019, the electric power industry's premier annual conference.
"Duke Energy is deserving of this award for its efforts to restore service quickly and safely in the Carolinas after Winter Storm Diego," said EEI President Tom Kuhn. "The dedication of Duke Energy's crews reflects our industry's commitment to our customers, and I thank them for their tireless work."
Winter Storm Diego brought snow, sleet and freezing rain through parts of North Carolina and portions of upstate South Carolina, resulting in more than 763,000 service outages in Duke Energy's territory.
Duke Energy's crews restored service to 100% of customers who could receive power within four days after the storm, dedicating more than 116,000 man-hours to the recovery.
"Winter Strom Diego rolled through the Carolinas on the heels of Hurricane Florence and Tropical Storm Michael," said Harry Sideris, Duke Energy senior vice president and chief distribution officer. "The end of 2018 hit the Carolinas hard with severe weather and power outages, and we appreciate the patience from our customers as our crews battled Diego's aftermath and the coordination with our government partners and other utilities who worked with us to restore power to our communities."
Hear from some of the 9,000 crews who worked in treacherous conditions to restore power after the storm hit: https://illumination.duke-energy.com/articles/in-snow-and-ice-crews-determined-to-restore-power.
Duke Energy has received 22 EEI awards since the awards began in 1998, including seven assistance awards and 15 recovery awards.
Duke Energy
Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK), a Fortune 150 company headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., is one of the largest energy holding companies in the U.S. It employs 30,000 people and has an electric generating capacity of 51,000 megawatts through its regulated utilities, and 3,000 megawatts through its nonregulated Duke Energy Renewables unit.
Duke Energy is transforming its customers' experience, modernizing the energy grid, generating cleaner energy and expanding natural gas infrastructure to create a smarter energy future for the people and communities it serves. The Electric Utilities and Infrastructure unit's regulated utilities serve approximately 7.7 million retail electric customers in six states – North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky. The Gas Utilities and Infrastructure unit distributes natural gas to more than 1.6 million customers in five states – North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Ohio and Kentucky. The Duke Energy Renewables unit operates wind and solar generation facilities across the U.S., as well as energy storage and microgrid projects.
Duke Energy was named to Fortune's 2019 "World's Most Admired Companies" list, and Forbes' 2019 "America's Best Employers" list. More information about the company is available at duke-energy.com. The Duke Energy News Center contains news releases, fact sheets, photos, videos and other materials. Duke Energy's illumination features stories about people, innovations, community topics and environmental issues. Follow Duke Energy on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook.
EEI
EEI is the association that represents all U.S. investor-owned electric companies. Our members provide electricity for 220 million Americans, and operate in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. As a whole, the electric power industry supports more than 7 million jobs in communities across the United States. In addition to our U.S. members, EEI has more than 65 international electric companies as International Members, and hundreds of industry suppliers and related organizations as Associate Members.
Contact: Meghan Miles
24-Hour: 800.559.3853
meghan.miles@duke-energy.com
Twitter - @DE_MeghanM
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SOURCE Duke Energy
