We Energies has been named an Edison Electric Institute (EEI) Emergency Response Award recipient for the company’s historic storm restoration effort in August 2021.
Presented to EEI member companies, the Emergency Response Awards recognize recovery and assistance efforts of electric companies following service disruptions caused by extreme weather or other natural events.
With this award, EEI recognized the hard work and dedication of employees from across We Energies operations who restored power to more than 210,000 customers who lost service as a result of severe storms Aug. 10.
Damaging winds of 60 to 80 miles per hour whipped across Wisconsin, toppling trees and branches into electric equipment. We Energies immediately launched the largest storm restoration effort in company history, with more than 1,000 people working around the clock for days on end.
Field crews found widespread damage and thousands of hazards — including downed trees that blocked roads, uprooted natural gas and electric lines, and damaged electric equipment. We Energies replaced hundreds of poles and transformers and strung more than 5 miles of new power cables during restoration efforts.
Despite the damage, crews restored power to 200,000 customers within 48 hours, and 98% of customers had their power back on within 72 hours.
The winners of the EEI award were chosen by a panel of judges following an international nomination process. The awards were presented during EEI’s virtual winter board of directors meeting in January 2022.