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In the aftermath of Hurricane Irma a year ago, Duke Energy assured customers in Tampa Bay that cuts in its tree-removal budget had not yet compounded widespread blackouts.
But the records show that the utility is now spending more money on tree care than in at least five years. Duke has planned to spend about $ 36 million, or $ 5.4 million more, on vegetation work throughout the service area.
This includes an additional $ 3 million in the region covering Pinellas and Pasco counties, where 520,000 people were left without electricity after Irma.
The company would not say that the bump is tied to its struggles during Irma. The evidence, however, seems to be in the funding.
"It was a big part of the problem of breakdowns and extended recovery time because of trees and fallen limbs that had not been maintained," said Ken Welch, president of the Pinellas County Commission. "We have the attention of the electricity company and you see resources reallocated as they should."
THE HISTORY OF ORIGIN: Before Irma closed, Duke Energy reduced its tree cutting budget to Pinellas and Pasco
Irma eviscerated Florida's power grid, depriving its electricity of 6.7 million customers. Utilities and regulators are now re-evaluating the best way to secure the system before the next storm. They stated that Irma's main culprit was the division and sway of trees, the clash of lines and the destruction of power poles throughout the state.
Tampa Electric in Hillsborough County has budgeted $ 4 million more for tree pruning in 2018, according to the records. The Public Service Commission, which oversees energy companies, suggested exploring an expansion of areas where utilities can cut down trees and noted that subway lines were working better in the storm.
"While we are assessing the devastating effects of Hurricane Irma and the threat of more extreme storms in the future," said Ana Gibbs, a Duke spokeswoman, "we are absolutely determined to get better ".
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Utility companies file lengthy reliability reports with the state, which include budget figures every March for what they call vegetation management. Electricians regularly prune trees and spray herbicides to prevent branches and foliage from disrupting the power grid.
In 2016, Duke allocated $ 7.4 million for the program in his "South Coast" region, which includes Pinellas and Pasco, show records. Last year, according to the company's latest report, Duke budgeted $ 8 million for vegetation work in the area, a little more than 2016 and still down from 2013, 2014 and 2015.
According to a document tabled in March, Duke's plan for 2018 is to spend more than $ 11 million.
Gibbs, Duke's spokesperson, attributed the difference to the regular fluctuations in the company's cutting cycles, increased funding for risk trees, and increased contractor prices.
But not hurricane Irma.
Some local leaders say that change is obvious and welcome.
"It's never a bad thing to hear that they have increased their expenses in vegetation management," said St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman. "Whether we had a storm last year or not, it's a good thing."
US Representative Gus Bilirakis of R-Palm Harbor met with the Duke's leadership about failures and tree cutting after the hurricane, a spokesperson for his office said. Office, Summer Robertson. He represents a district that includes parts of Pinellas and Pasco and "feared that some of the power outages encountered in the Tampa Bay area could have been avoided through improved maintenance."
Bilirakis "is pleased to see that Duke has responded to his comments, which have been picked up by many customers, increasing these critical activities," Robertson writes in a statement.
State Senator Darryl Rouson, D-St. Petersburg, said he thought "take appropriate and critical action now to prevent a repeat of the situation last year by increasing the budget".
The district of Rouson also covers part of Hillsborough County, where Tampa Electric is the main energy provider. Last year, the company had 200,000 fewer coupons after Irma in an area with 60,000 more customers than Duke's Pinellas-Pasco area. He also spent about $ 3 million more on vegetation management in 2016, according to official reports.
Tampa Electric's budget for cutting trees also fluctuates, a spokeswoman said.
"The exact number of miles traveled and their cost can vary each year and the budget adjusts accordingly," said spokeswoman Cherie Jacobs.
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After Hurricane Irma, Florida state and emergency officials promised to improve their response to future storms. Public services were a focal point.
The Public Service Commission completed a 61-page review of hurricane preparedness, which revealed that tree falls and uprooted vegetation caused many power outages. But the report says that most of this debris "comes from outside the public utility rights of way".
Electricity companies typically work through easements that allow them to clear trees around their lines. To reduce foliage beyond these easements, they usually require permission from the owners.
Duke said that it was impossible to know exactly how many of his Irma failures were the direct result of the damage to the trees. But a consultant analyzed broken poles after the storm, Gibbs said, estimating that 70% of the damage came from trees, most of which were off the rights of way.
In the future, the Public Service Commission has proposed several ways for utility companies to improve grid resistance before the next storm. They include increasing client awareness of when and where services offset, relative to where residents are responsible for maintaining trees.
Regulators have also suggested that the state legislature might consider expanding areas where utilities can cut trees around their rights of way – what Rouson said he could explore if it would help reduce the breakdowns
Another goal is to bury parts of the power grid. Regulators found that underground lines worked best during Hurricane Irma, even though they do not stand up to storms and often take longer to repair when they are damaged. According to the Public Service Commission, Duke and Florida Power & Light, another regional energy giant, have already made efforts to expand the burial of power lines. Gibbs said some of this work was taking place in Pinellas.
According to Jacobs, Tampa Electric is also in favor of using underground lines, but its installation costs about $ 1 million per mile, forcing the service to "balance profitability and impact on customer rates." ".
On the other side of the bay, Duke customers are already paying some of Florida's highest fares.
"In some communities, it makes sense to find public services, and in other communities it's a less practical solution," said state representative Chris Sprowls, Republican of Palm Harbor. . "I believe that there is a deep and widespread commitment on the part of all to be better prepared when the storm that we hope to never happen finally arrives."
It will be difficult to determine the effectiveness of improvements before the next disaster.
"You will not know how strong a system is until the next storm happens," said Kelly J., the state attorney who represents state utility clients. "It's a bit like buying a used car and you're driving it from here to California. You do not know how it will work until you're on the road and you do not start driving.
Contact Zachary T. Sampson at [email protected] or (727) 893-8804. Follow @ZackSampson.
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