Report: PPL Could Have Avoided 15 Percent Of Storm-Related Power Problems

Pennsylvania’s Public Utility Commission has studied power outages caused by last year’s severe fall storms, and concluded PPL had the most “preventable” problems. Nearly 15 percent of the utility’s power outages could have been avoided, the report determined.  More from the Morning Call:

The PUC found that PPL had the highest percentage of customers with “preventable” tree outages, referring to damage that came from falling trees in rights of way or from trees that were thought to have been trimmed sufficiently.
Electric utilities should review whether their tree-trimming plans are adequate and consider installing new technology to limit widespread outages, said the reports, which were ordered by the PUC and examined the aftermath of Hurricane Irene last August; flooding rains from the remnants of Tropical Storm Lee in early September; and the late October “Snowpocalypse.”
“Tree-trimming should be a primary concern for both the [electric utilities] and commission for its effect on reliability as well as its role in long-duration outages,” the report said.

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