Written by: Coral Gables Pinecrest

FPL Enhances Energy Grid with Planned Upgrades in Coral Gables & Pinecrest

FPL demonstrates “smart trimming” technology in South Florida on Feb. 29 as part of the company’s ongoing investments to fortify the energy grid to make it stronger and more storm resilient.

How we’re upgrading your neighborhood:

FPL plans to make the following upgrades throughout 2024 in Coral Gables as part of its ongoing commitment to avoid outages and restore power faster following severe weather: 

  • Strengthening 10 main power lines, including those that serve critical community services. 
  • Maintaining trees and vegetation – a common cause of power outages, particularly during hurricanes and extreme weather – along 110 miles of power lines.
  • Inspecting 1,626 power poles in Coral Gables as part of an eight-year inspection cycle, strengthening or replacing those that no longer meet FPL’s industry-leading standards

FPL plans to make the following upgrades throughout 2024 in Pinecrest as part of its ongoing commitment to avoid outages and restore power faster following severe weather: 

  • Strengthening seven main power lines, including those that serve critical community services. 
  • Maintaining trees and vegetation – a common cause of power outages, particularly during hurricanes and extreme weather – along 43 miles of power lines.
  • Inspecting 315 power poles in Pinecrest as part of an eight-year inspection cycle, strengthening or replacing those that no longer meet FPL’s industry-leading standards.  . 

New this year: FPL continuously leverages new and innovative technologies to improve reliability for its customers and is implementing the following innovations this year:

  • Piloting the installation of automated underground switches which will help detect and isolate outages, further enhancing reliability of underground lines.
  • Using “smart trimming” technology to identify and trim a leading cause of power outages: trees and other vegetation contacting power lines. Smart trimming also helps the company identify areas of concern and assign the work electronically, saving inspection time.

Cumulative improvements in the Coral Gables area: When the planned 2024 work is completed, FPL will have made the following improvements since 2006:  

  • Strengthened 16 main power lines, including those that serve critical services.  
  • Inspected and maintained vegetation near 1,512 miles of power lines – an average of 84 miles per year.   
  • Inspected 16,689 power poles for strength.
  • Installed smart grid technology, including 1,041 automated switches on main and neighborhood power lines.  

Cumulative improvements in the Pinecrest area: When the planned 2024 work is completed, FPL will have made the following improvements since 2006:  

  • Inspected and maintained vegetation near 593 miles of power lines – an average of 33 miles per year.   
  • Inspected 8,346 power poles for strength.
  • Installed smart grid technology, including 636 automated switches on main and neighborhood power lines.  

A word from Javier Palma, local area manager at FPL: “We are so pleased to be able to offer these system upgrades to our customers in Coral Gables and Pinecrest. Our dedicated team at FPL is committed to providing you with safe and reliable electric service. These upgrades, including the very latest grid technology, will help get the lights back on faster after storms.”

For perspective: An annual report filed March 1 with the Florida Public Service Commission details how FPL delivered the best service reliability in company history last year. In the most recent statistics from the U.S. Energy Information Administration, FPL’s service reliability was nearly three times better than the national average.

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Last modified: April 14, 2024