News
For Immediate Release
Contact: Magnus Henagulph
mhenagulph@liberty.bm
298.6177/325.1220
Hamilton, Bermuda (Thursday, January 12, 2023) – Bermuda Electric Light Company Limited (BELCO) today was announced as an Edison Electric Institute (EEI) Emergency Response Award recipient for restoration efforts following Hurricane Fiona.
Presented to EEI member companies twice a year, the Emergency Response Awards recognise recovery and assistance efforts of electric companies following service disruptions caused by extreme weather or other natural events. The winners were chosen by a panel of judges following an international nomination process, and the awards were presented during EEI’s winter Board of Directors and CEO meeting.
Hurricane Fiona made its closest point of approach to Bermuda on Friday 23rd September at around 5am, two weeks after Hurricane Earl impacted the island. Sustained winds of 49-59 knots were recordeda t the LF Wade International Airport with gusts to 81 knots. The western end of the island saw sustained winds of 73 knots with a peak gust of 101 knots recorded.
Notwithstanding the storm passing 120nm to the NW of the island, Bermuda was still impacted by hurricane force winds for a 12-hour period. The storm knocked out 106 of 167 circuits or 63.47% and 57 feeders were tripped. A total of 787 incidents and 26,842 customer calls were recorded with a peak outage of approximately 29,817 customers or 83% of BELCO’s total customers at 11:00 am on Friday, September 23, 2022.
In response to the hurricane, BELCO stood up its Incident Command Structure to manage its hurricane response and to coordinate restoration efforts in a safe and efficient manner. Following the first 12-hour operational period BELCO was able to restore power to 24,400 customers and bring 39 of its 46 mainline circuits back online.
The second day of restoration efforts was focused on bringing the remaining seven main line circuits back online while also restoring power to customers who are located on circuits of smaller load. As of 7am on September 24th, 18% of BELCO’s customer base was still without power. Operational teams worked throughout the day and were supported by the planning and logistics sections of the Incident Command Structure as they worked to restore power.
Following the second day power was returned to an additional 5,000 customers, representing 13% of the population and all seven main line circuits were brought back online. Power was restored for all island residents by September 28th as the operational teams continued to isolate sections of various circuits to conduct necessary repairs. Restoration involved replacing 18 distribution poles and 13 transformers as well as repairing overhead lines across the island. BELCO recorded no safety incidents or accidents during restoration efforts.
BELCO President Wayne Caines said: “Our entire team at BELCO is honoured by this award which is at testament to the hard work and professionalism of our staff. Hurricanes are always a challenging time for BELCO but our team have well-established protocol for all aspects of preparing for and then restoring power once a storm has passed. On behalf of all our staff at BELCO, I would like to thank EEI for their recognition of our efforts to restore power to our valued customers quickly and safely.”
“Throughout the past six months, electric companies faced devastating hurricanes, unprecedented heat waves, and many other extreme weather events that impacted the customers and communities we serve,” said EEI President Tom Kuhn. “I commend BELCO’s commitment to restore service for its customers safely and quickly under challenging conditions. BELCO and its storm response team undoubtedly are deserving of this national recognition, and I am honored to present them with this well-deserved award.”
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About BELCO
Bermuda Electric Light Company Limited (BELCO) is a wholly owned subsidiary of Liberty Group Limited. Liberty Group Limited is a Bermuda based provider of energy and energy-related services, owned by Algonquin Power & Utilities Corp., also parent company of Liberty Power and Liberty Utilities (Liberty). BELCO was established in 1904 as Bermuda’s sole supplier of electricity and currently operates generating plant and transmission and distribution systems to service 36,000 metered connections. For further information about BELCO visit www.belco.bm
About EEI
EEI is the association that represents all U.S. investor-owned electric companies. Our members provide electricity for more than 235 million Americans, and operate in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. As a whole, the electric power industry supports more than 7 million jobs in communities across the United States. In addition to our U.S. members, EEI has more than 65 international electric companies, with operations in more than 90 countries, as International Members, and hundreds of industry suppliers and related organizations as Associate Members.
