The verdict’s in. The Public Utilities Regulatory Authority announced today that Connecticut’s utilities responded “in a generally acceptable manner” in preparing for and responding to Hurricane Sandy.
From Maine to Maryland, nearly 10 million people were without electricity following the storm, some for several days. Following the storm, PURA launched an investigation into the response and storm preparedness of the state’s gas and electric companies.
In a report released today, officials concluded the utilities had preformed their storm-related duties in a timely and effective manner, given the circumstances. But officials also noted there was room for improvement.
Among the six orders issued by PURA, Connecticut Light & Power and United Illuminating must provide a report by March 2014 on the feasibility of an emergency generator. CL&P must also provide further training for employees on its storm damage assessment software, and UI must provide semi-annual reports on the implementation of its real-time information technology that assess the scope of its restoration efforts.
Following the report, Bill Quinlan, CL&P’s senior vice president of emergency preparedness, said he was happy to see PURA recognize CL&P’s improvement over past storms.
“It is welcome news to hear that all of the hard work, dedication and customer focus of our employees has been recognized by our regulators,” Quinlan said. “However, our work to ensure we are prepared for future emergency events is constantly ongoing. Â As with all storms, we will incorporate PURA”™s feedback into future plans and continue our efforts to become a recognized industry leader in this area.”
