PPL Electric Utilities ready for hurricane season

PPL Electric Utilities’ workforce is prepared for a more active than average hurricane season, the company said.

The hurricane season runs from June 1 through Nov. 30. This season, there is the likelihood of between 13 to 19 named storms, six to 10 hurricanes and three to six major hurricanes of Category 3 or higher, according to a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration prediction.

“The approaching warmer weather not only ushers in hurricane season, it’s also prime time for thunderstorms and other severe weather,” PPL President Greg Dudkin said. “As PPL continues to invest in a stronger, safer, and more resilient grid, the impacts of these storms have substantially decreased.”

PPL utilizes smart-grid technology, reducing the size of the area affected by an outage by instantly rerouting power around trouble spots. The company has also replaced aging equipment with stronger storm-resistant poles and wires, improved lightning protection, conducted comprehensive tree trimming and clearing, and expanded the use of animal guards.

PPL reduced the annual number of customer interruptions by 30 percent between 2011 to 2019, resulting in approximately 363,000 fewer customer interruptions in 2019.

Homeowners and businesses should be ready for severe weather, PPL said.

PPL Electric Utilities provides electric delivery service to more than 1.4 million homes and businesses in Pennsylvania.