Mississippi Power completes Winter Storm Viola restoration
Gulfport, Miss. – Mississippi Power has safely restored service to all customers who can receive power after back-to-back winter storms Viola and Uri moved through the company’s service territory and brought icy, hazardous conditions to its Northern Division.
Approximately 21,000 customers were impacted as Winter Storm Viola caused damage to the company’s lines. Meridian and its surrounding communities were once again the most hard-hit areas, as they were just days ago following Winter Storm Uri.
“We cannot thank our customers enough for hanging in there with us during both of these storms,” said Mississippi Power President and CEO Anthony Wilson. “This restoration work in very difficult and dangerous conditions was a companywide effort. It could not have been done without the hard work and dedication from our employees in Distribution, Transmission, Generation and Logistics as well as many others in support roles. Our team diligently followed our storm-tested plan and worked safely until every light was back on.”
Twice this week, Mississippi Power assembled winter storm teams of nearly 1,000 personnel, including crews and resources from the company’s Coast Division and its sister utilities Georgia Power and Alabama Power. Icy roads, downed trees, and limbs on power lines were common challenges the crews faced.
The record-setting temperatures also caused an increase in demand from Mississippi Power’s generating facilities.
“We reached our highest generation peak since January 2018 this week,” said Senior Vice President & Senior Production Officer Jim Heilbron. “The employees at our generating plants kept our equipment performing during extended freezing conditions to meet our customers’ demands. They delivered when our customers needed us most.”
On Monday, more than 34,000 customers were impacted by Winter Storm Uri as it moved through the area and the company had more than 95 percent of those customers restored by the end of the day Tuesday.
“We deeply appreciate the community’s patience and support this week,” said Vice President of Customer Service and Operations Fran Forehand. “Mississippi Power will continue to be prepared for any severe weather that comes our way. Our storm team is extremely talented and well-equipped to handle these situations for our customers.”
Now in its 96th year of operations, Mississippi Power, a subsidiary of Southern Company (NYSE: SO), produces safe, reliable and affordable energy for more than 188,000 customers in 23 southeast Mississippi counties. With nearly 160 megawatts of approved solar energy capacity, Mississippi Power is the largest partner in providing renewable energy in the state of Mississippi. Visit our website at mississippipower.com, like us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube.
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