This is how Tampa Electric is preparing for the hurricane season

In Florida, reliable energy is more than just convenience. It’s a lifeline. In extreme weather conditions, trustworthy power during and after storms is essential for the well-being of our communities and economic health.

Tampa Electric prepares you year-round during hurricane season with aggressive measures such as installing durability, regular inspection and maintenance of power poles to install self-healing technology, detecting outages, power detection, and restoring service in seconds, ensuring durability and installing self-healing technology. Beyond these continuing efforts, our storm protection plan represents a long-term investment in resilience designed to allow our infrastructure to recover robust, robust and vigorously.

Tampa Electric will invest around $200 million a year to strengthen its transmission lines, convert overhead lines underground, tidy more trees and upgrade substations. An important step to reduce the impact of storms and increase the reliability of your electricity. Protection Plans are a model of efficiency based on careful analysis of the best solution for your clients.

These investments benefit our customers through speed of power recovery, reduced service disruptions and long-term cost reductions. Since the introduction of the storm protection program in 2019, there have been significant advances. A 60% reduction in tree-related outages, a 35% reduction in average outages, and a 67% reduction in power flicker.

It achieved a reliability rate of nearly 99.98% for 860,000 customers in western Florida. This surprising result is the result of intentional, data-driven efforts, shaped by insights from major storms like Hurricane Milton and Helen. These experiences will help you continually improve your strategy to enhance your grid’s resilience.

Our storm planning and response is nationally recognized. In 2024, the Edison Electrical Institute honored the Emergency Response Award for Quick and Effective Power Recovery after Hurricane Milton. It also won Chartwell’s 2025 Bronze Stop Communication Award for its 2025 for its enhanced customer communication ahead of last year’s intense storm season.

And we continue to improve. For example, substations can procure critical equipment and install submersible equipment in other areas to ensure that they can withstand storm surges well. In 2024 alone, we strengthened or replaced over 1,000 distribution electrodes, converted 60 miles of overhead power lines underground, and trimmed tree limbs and branches from over 3,300 miles of overhead power lines.

These investments, along with the collaborative efforts of state leadership, are creating a more resilient Florida. In Florida, communities are better prepared and protected in the face of natural disasters.

The benefits of protection planning exceed faster power recovery. Shorter restoration times have a direct impact on Florida’s economy. The rapid recovery enabled by protection plans can save billions of dollars in productivity, according to the U.S. Department of Energy’s suspension cost estimation calculator.

From tourism to small businesses, the financial losses associated with the expansion halt can be felt across the state. Continuing strengthening the grid ensures Florida’s resilience to keep the nation operational and competitive in the face of natural disasters.

Going forward, we are working to strengthen our grid and ensure it is one of the most reliable and storm-resistant in the country. This ongoing investment will make sure Florida remains open for business and benefit future generations in preparation for what the next stormy season brings.

Chip Whitworth serves as Vice President of Electrical Delivery at Tampa Electric.