Duke Energy Florida has been recognized by the Edison Electric Institute (EEI) with an Emergency Response Award for its efforts in restoring power after Hurricane Milton. The award, presented at EEI’s Fall Board of Directors and Chief Executives Meeting, honors electric companies for their recovery work following service disruptions caused by extreme weather or natural events.
EEI President and CEO Drew Maloney stated, “America’s electric companies and their dedicated workforces work tirelessly throughout the year to strengthen the energy grid and to restore power – and peace of mind – for American families and businesses after extreme weather events and natural disasters. EEI is proud to recognize Duke Energy Florida for its extraordinary response efforts following Hurricane Milton. This recovery award reflects Duke Energy Florida and its storm response team’s incredible commitment to the customers and communities they serve.”
Hurricane Milton made landfall as a Category 3 storm on October 9, 2024, causing about one million reported power outages across Florida. Duke Energy Florida mobilized 16,000 resources and restored power to 95% of affected customers within approximately 96 hours. The company replaced damaged equipment including 1,640 power poles, 1,350 transformers, and nearly one million feet of wire and cable during the restoration process.
The company also utilized self-healing technology that serves about 80% of its customers. This technology automatically detects outages and reroutes power to other lines, saving an estimated 3.3 million hours of potential outage time during Hurricane Milton.
Todd Fountain, Duke Energy Florida storm director, said, “While Hurricane Milton was a devastating storm that left much of Florida’s west-central coast in the dark, our team’s strategic response helped get our customers’ lights back on as quickly as possible, allowing them to focus on what really matters, like their families and businesses, and begin to pick up the pieces of their lives. We know they depend on us for that, and it’s a responsibility we take extremely seriously – not just during hurricane season, but all year long.”
Duke Energy Florida advises customers that the Atlantic hurricane season continues in 2025 and encourages preparation for future storms. More information is available at duke-energy.com/StormTips.
EEI represents investor-owned electric companies in the United States that provide electricity for nearly 250 million Americans across all states as well as international members from over 60 countries.
Duke Energy Florida supplies electricity to two million residential, commercial, and industrial customers across a service area covering 13,000 square miles in Florida.
Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK), headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, serves more than eight million electric utility customers across six states with total energy capacity exceeding 54 gigawatts. The company is investing in upgrades to the electric grid along with new generation sources such as renewables and energy storage.
