TECO center tracks outages
Bad weather often means electrical outages, but TECO officials say a new energy control center unveiled Monday should minimize the power problems that tend to characterize the storm season.
The power company will monitor outages from the center, where utility managers also can keep track of crews as they work to restore electricity.
The center, complete with a huge wall of video monitors, is designed to allow TECO to respond faster to outages by pinpointing the exact location of the problem. Calls from customers reporting outages also will be handled at the center.
"This new system actually groups the calls much quicker than the old," said TECO dispatcher Lee Cornett, "so we save a couple of minutes here and then we are able to save a couple of minutes … in the field."
TECO has been testing the new system since it was put in place this spring. The real test, though, will come with the area’s first big storm of the season.
A staff report