Utility Companies prepare for the storm

Here's what Acadiana's utility companies are saying about their winter weather preps.

SLEMCO
If weather forecasts prove accurate, we could be seeing a bit of the white stuff in the next day or two. We've been preparing and adjusting work details and logistics ahead of the expected "wintry precipitation" to make certain we have enough manpower, materials and equipment to restore power as quickly as possible. We plan to communicate and update our customers via Facebook several times each day if we have large-scale outages. Individual outages won't be addressed until any major issues are cleared up. As soon as we are given details, we will share them as quickly as possible with you.

Reminder: Just like after a hurricane, if we have outages, we will start with patrolling transmission lines and substation feeders, then line sections and lastly individual taps. You may see a truck in your area, then not again for awhile as we assess the scale of any system damage. Every electric utility works this way because it gets the most customers back on the fastest. It does no good to head to a location at the end of the line if power isn't able to flow out of the substation to get to your location. It's sort of like CPR. If your heart isn't pumping blood out to your arteries, paramedics begin their care with chest compressions not setting a bone that's broken in an arm or leg. We know this can be extremely aggravating if you're the customer at the end of a line. We will be working to get to you just as quickly and safely as we can.

Please remember to treat any fallen power line as energized and stay away. If you plan to use a portable generator, plug appliances directly into the generator. Do not try to power your entire home by wiring your generator to your breaker box. This is not only a fire hazard, but you risk backfeeding the power line going to your home and electrocuting line workers trying to restore your power.

Outages can be reported by calling 1-888-275-3626. You can also login to your SmartHub account to report an outage. Stay safe and remember to obey any official public directives.

CLECO
Cleco prepares year-round for all types of weather-events, ensuring employees are always ready and equipped to safely respond when storms are imminent.

“We have a tried-and-true storm plan that we follow, and with each storm we are more experienced and better prepared,” said Clint Robichaux, director of distribution operations and reliability. “And recent investments in our power plants, as well as in our transmission and distribution systems are a part of our reliability plan.”

Here is how Cleco is prepared.

Distribution Teams

• In addition to Cleco’s distribution and reliability personnel, the company has secured an additional 500 line mechanic and vegetation management contractors.

Generation Teams

• Cleco’s power plants have fully implemented their winterization programs and taken additional precautions to safeguard equipment from extremely cold temperatures.
• All plants are being staffed above normal operating levels. 
• Last year, Cleco invested in power plant upgrades to better protect plants so they can continue to reliably generate through the extreme cold and high demand.

Transmission Teams

• All transmission, maintenance and project crews are on standby and ready to respond.

For more information on how Cleco is preparing and how customers can prepare, visit Cleco’s Storm Center page on cleco.com/stormcenter.
ENTERGY
As Louisiana braces for potentially historic winter weather, Entergy Louisiana and Entergy New Orleans remain dedicated to ensuring the safety of customers and restoring power as quickly and safely as possible should outages occur. Both companies have completed extensive patrols of their systems and taken additional measures to prepare for severe conditions.

Utility infrastructure can face unique challenges during extreme cold weather, such as heavy, wet snow combined with gusty winds, which can weigh down tree limbs and stress power lines along with an increased demand due to the frigid temperatures.

To assist in potential restoration efforts, 1,600 workers are on standby ready to support our communities statewide. However, customers should anticipate slower restoration times due to icy road conditions and cold-load pickup challenges.

As a reminder, out of an abundance of caution, both companies have made the decision to suspend disconnects through Sunday, Jan. 26.

Proactive Winter Preparations
Entergy Louisiana and Entergy New Orleans have implemented comprehensive steps to prepare for and mitigate the impact of the extreme cold, including:

• Completed system patrols to identify and address vulnerabilities.
• Insulating critical power plant equipment using improved methods and materials that allow them to withstand lower temperatures.
• Insulating or draining piping within power generation facilities with potential for standing water during normal operation, to prevent freezing and breaks.
• Inspecting and maintaining substations and transmission lines that are critical to Bulk Electric System reliability.
• Inspecting and testing equipment that can be impacted by extreme cold, such as gas-filled circuit breakers.
• Additional vegetation trimming, which removes tree limbs that would normally have been above the power line.

As our teams prepare, we encourage our customers to prepare as well. Entergy’s Storm Center [entergynewsroom.com] provides a list of safety tips, bill management assistance and energy efficiency resources to keep families safe and warm throughout the winter season.

Restoration Challenges
While crews are ready to respond, icy roads and other winter hazards are expected to slow travel and restoration efforts. Additionally, cold-load pickup, the increased energy demand that occurs when power is restored to systems impacted by extreme cold, may delay restoration times.

To ensure our company and customers are prepared for the winter weather ahead, we continue to implement unique readiness plans at each power plant and review measures taken with transmission lines and transmission facilities, while reviewing critical systems and infrastructure preparedness across the grid.

When a weather threat arises, we ramp up support [entergynewsroom.com]. We use forecasts and computer models based on experience with previous storms to predict damages and associated restoration resource needs. Based on those estimates, the company may call on restoration workers from around the country [entergynewsroom.com] if needed to aid in restoring power safely and quickly for our customers. Entergy continuously plans and improves the process of assessing damage, positioning personnel in the right place with the required materials to restore power as safely and quickly as possible.

We take steps to maintain and control vegetation across our service area, completing annual clearing of right-of-way areas to minimize the impact from fallen trees or branches following a storm. Prior to storms impacting our area, vegetation crews perform pre-storm patrols of circuits to mitigate any imminent threats within the right of way. Our year-round storm preparations include the vegetation management program and the targeted “ground to sky” vegetation trimming [entergy.com], which removes tree limbs that would normally have been above the power line. We also use artificial intelligence and satellite imagery to help predict when trimming may be needed.

Customers should prepare now 
Being prepared can help keep you safe. Get ready before weather threatens your area by having an emergency plan in place. Find safekeeping resources on our Storm Center:

• Get prepared [entergynewsroom.com]: Make a plan, make a kit.
• Prepare your home [entergynewsroom.com]: Winterize inside and out.
• Your mobile phone [entergynewsroom.com]: A lifeline during a disaster.
• Stay informed [entergynewsroom.com]: Download the app, report an outage. 
• Stay safe [entergynewsroom.com]: Safety after the storm.
• Generator safety [entergynewsroom.com]: Know the hazards.
• Gas safety [entergynewsroom.com]: Know the signs.
• Extreme cold safety [entergynewsroom.com]: Indoor and outdoor tips.

Verify your contact information in your online myEntergy account [myentergy.com] before severe weather strikes, so you receive our notifications. If a storm impacts your area, you can report an outage quickly and easily through our digital options – using either our free mobile app [entergy.com], online at myEntergy.com [myentergy.com] or by texting OUT to 36778.