RICHMOND – Dominion Energy Virginia announced Tuesday that it plans to send restoration workers and equipment to help rebuild the island’s energy grid that was destroyed during 2017’s devastating hurricane season.
“When the request for help came in, we immediately began making preparations,” said Ed Baine, senior vice president of distribution for the company. “While the logistics of responding to this type of restoration are complex, we are eager to respond to the call for aid from those in need.”
Fifty-six pieces of equipment and restoration vehicles will be ready to travel by barge to San Juan on January 2. An advance team of safety and logistics specialists, leadership and other personnel will leave on January 10. The remaining contingent, including linemen, groundmen, other restoration workers and support personnel are scheduled to follow and begin restoration work on January 15.
Personnel are anticipated to be in Puerto Rico for a month at the minimum. Dominion Energy is working in partnership and under the direction of the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA), Edison Electric Institute, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to provide crews, equipment, materials, expertise and additional resources to expedite power restoration for people who have been without power in the months following Hurricane Maria.
“As we speak, hundreds of trucks and thousands of pieces of equipment are being barged into Puerto Rico,” said Carlos D. Torres, power restoration coordinator appointed by Puerto Rican Governor Ricardo Rosselló.
With the 82 Dominion Energy restoration workers joining a national crew of 1,500 to Puerto Rico, the total number of power restoration workers on the island will increase to more than 5,500.
