- Milestone marks significant progress in the company's
Strategic Underground Program
- Program reduces outages and restoration time by burying
lines in most outage-prone areas
- Company reminds customers how to prepare for hurricane
season
RICHMOND, Va., June 3, 2024
/PRNewswire/ -- Just ahead of the Atlantic hurricane season,
Dominion Energy Virginia has finished burying 2,000 miles of
previously-overhead power lines as part of its Strategic
Underground Program. Launched in 2014 to reduce storm-related power
outages and shorten restoration times, the program focuses on
burying power lines in the most outage-prone areas. The company
plans to bury several thousand additional miles of overhead lines
as the program continues in the coming years.
"We launched this program a decade ago after finding that a
significant number of storm-related power outages were occurring in
a relatively small number of areas," said Ed Baine, President of Dominion Energy Virginia.
"By burying the lines in these outage-prone areas, we're not only
reducing the number of outages, but we're also shortening how long
it takes to get the power back on."
The Strategic Underground Program is one of several programs
that the company has launched in recent years to reduce power
outages and make the grid more resilient. The company's Mainfeeder
Hardening program, for example, is replacing older poles with
taller, stronger ones that are rooted deeper in the ground and
spaced closer together. The new poles are engineered and built with
fiberglass cross-arms, which help prevent fallen trees or limbs
from bringing down the entire pole. Since 2019, the company has
hardened over 265 miles of power lines, with the ultimate goal of
hardening 1,000 miles by 2030.
The Atlantic hurricane season began on June 1 and runs through November 30. This season is expected to be
active, so Dominion Energy is reminding customers how they can
prepare:
- Know how to report a power outage and track your restoration
time.
The Dominion Energy mobile app is the easiest way. Customers may
also use the Dominion Energy website or call 866-DOM-HELP.
- Stay away from downed power lines.
If you see a downed power line, please report it by calling
866-DOM-HELP and stay at least 30 feet away. The line could be
energized and dangerous.
- Charge your devices before the storm.
Fully charge your phone, computer and other electronic devices
before a storm arrives. Consider purchasing portable batteries to
extend the life of your devices.
- Properly connect your generator.
If you have a generator, make sure it is fueled, tested, and
properly connected before the storm arrives, and always operate it
outdoors with good ventilation.
- Prepare food, water and emergency supplies.
Before any storm, it's always good to have bottled water and
non-perishable food on hand, as well as emergency supplies such as
flashlights, batteries, first aid kits and medications.
For more hurricane preparedness tips, please
visit www.dominionenergy.com/our-stories/hurricane-preparedness.
Photo and b-roll video of recent Strategic Underground Program
work is available for download here:
https://news.dominionenergy.com/reliability.
View the Spanish version of this press release.
About Dominion Energy
More than 4.5 million customers in 13 states energize their
homes and businesses with electricity or natural gas from Dominion
Energy (NYSE: D), headquartered in Richmond, Va. The company is committed to
providing reliable, affordable, and increasingly clean energy that
powers our customers every day and to achieving Net Zero
emissions by 2050. Please visit DominionEnergy.com to learn
more.
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SOURCE Dominion Energy