Southern Co. sends 1,500 crew to restore Puerto Rico’s power

Southern Company has

deployed line workers and support staff to Puerto Rico to help restore power to the island ravaged by Hurricane Maria.

Drawn from Alabama Power, Georgia Power, Gulf Power and Mississippi Power companies, the crews are part of an industry effort comprising 1,500 workers, said the company in a writ- ten statement. Those work- ers will join another 4,000 to restore the island’s power grid.

Southern Company CEO Thomas Fanning said his company is proud to be part of the operation, which has sent 5,500 workers to help with restoration efforts in Puerto Rico.

“Our employees are dedi- cated to the effort and determined to restore and repair Puerto Rico’s energy grid,” Fanning said.

The effort is being coor- dinated by the Edison Elec- tric Institute, an association

that represents all investor-owned electric companies in the U.S.

The new crew will join Southern Power’s incident management team, which was deployed to Puerto Rico in December. Hundreds of trucks with tools and equipment will provide materials, equipment, and resources to the island.

Four months ago, Hurricane Maria — a Category 5 storm — swept across the U.S. territory, destroying the island’s 2,400 miles of transmission lines, 30,000 miles of distribution lines, and 342 substations.

Large parts of the island are still without power.