TALLAHASSEE —
The Florida Public Service Commission moved to strengthen rules governing
electric utility construction and maintenance Tuesday as part of a
comprehensive effort to reduce the state’s vulnerability to hurricanes and
tropical storms.
“We need to have standards in place that reflect the realities of
today’s storm cycles and their effect on our economy,” Commission Chairman Lisa
Edgar said. “We are committed to developing a more resilient electric system,
and this is one more step in that process.”
Changes approved by the Commission on Tuesday include:
·
Directing the state’s electric
utilities to establish guidelines and procedures for adopting more stringent construction
standards for overhead and underground electric transmission and distribution
lines within six months.
·
Requiring utilities to consider
installation and long-term operating costs of underground and overhead lines to
allow consumers to make informed choices about which approach is most
cost-effective.
·
Allowing for sharing of project-specific
costs associated with placing lines underground when benefits accrue to ratepayers
other than those directly affected by the conversion.
The Commission reaffirmed its commitment for further improvements to the
state’s electric infrastructure. The Commission authorized its staff to pursue ways
to encourage placing electric distribution facilities in accessible locations
to speed restoration of service in the wake of outages. In addition, the
Commission directed investor-owned electric utilities to develop safety and
reliability standards for companies that want to place wires or other attachments
on power poles.
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