Current Light Flashes

We understand power outages can be frustrating for our members, especially frequent outages and outages on blue-sky days. At West Florida Electric Cooperative (WFEC), we continuously work hard to strengthen our system and improve reliability. However, some outages are completely unavoidable due to weather, trees and branches, animals and equipment failure. 35543001

The cooperative maintains approximately 5,100 miles of power lines across our four-county service area and that is a huge challenge. To help members better understand the causes of outages, here are some of the actual causes of power outages from the past three months.

Over the past three months, WFEC members across our service area experienced 1,014 total outages. The top three causes of all of these power outages were lightning/weather, trees inside and outside of the right-of-way and small animals or birds. A breakdown of those causes for the months of June, July and August is on the next page of this newsletter.

The remaining 281 power outages during June, July, and August were caused by various things including car accidents, equipment failure, or structure fires.

WFEC continually works to patrol and maintain our power distribution system by investigating and diagnosing problems, inspecting substations on at least a monthly basis, and upgrading lines and equipment by adding devices like fuses and reclosers when needed. We also conduct pole inspections and replace aging poles and lines when necessary.

For example, during a monthly inspection at the Chipley substation, crews found heat-damaged equipment, were able to identify the problem, and promptly make repairs before a larger and longer outage occurred.

Other steps WFEC takes to reduce outages and maintain its system include an aggressive right-of-way management program which includes a 4-year trimming cycle and maintains a 30-foot clearance from ground to sky (15 feet on each side of the power lines) to keep power lines safe from trees and vegetation. The co-op also removes storm-damaged and dead trees that threaten lines, even those beyond the immediate right-of-way that can cause chain reactions. Maintaining rights-of-way is one of WFEC’s largest on-going expenses. Florida’s long growing season, frequent lightning storms, and animal activity also add to the challenges of keeping the lights on 24/7/365. 52939001

At WFEC, we know reliable power is important to your daily life, and we’re committed to doing everything possible to keep the lights on. While some outages are unavoidable, we work year-round to strengthen our system, clear rights-of way, and upgrade equipment so disruptions are fewer and shorter. We will continue being proactive with inspections, right-of-way maintenance, and repairs so we can provide safe, dependable electricity for our members.