News Release
 Dec. 07, 2002

MORE THAN HALF MILLION DUKE POWER CUSTOMERS RESTORED

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Duke Power continues to make solid progress in restoring electric service to the more than 1.3 million customers left without power by the worst ice storm in company history.

 

Bolstered by words of support and warm beverages from residents, line crews working 16-hour shifts have restored electricity to more than a half-million customers so far.

 

“To put this in perspective, the ice storm of 1996 knocked out service to 660,000 customers,” said E. O. Ferrell, senior vice president of electric distribution for Duke Power. “It took 10 days to complete those restorations. In the past three days, we have almost matched that number.” 

 

“Today’s warm weather, and the infusion of additional personnel from utilities throughout the east coast, have greatly assisted in our restoration efforts,” Ferrell said.

 

Crews have worked to restore service to vital services such as hospitals, water and sewage treatment facilities, and police and fire stations. Focus has shifted to repairing larger, feeder lines that serve as the backbone for supplying everyone’s electrical needs.  

 

“In some areas, our progress may not be as apparent in the reported numbers because we often have to disconnect some service to test lines or make additional repairs further down the line,” Ferrell said. “Our goal is the total restoration of all our customers, and we’re moving toward that goal as quickly and safely as possible.”

 

The company projects that 90 percent of the system-wide outages will be restored by Wednesday evening, Dec. 11. 

 

Power outages and downed power lines should be reported using the 1-800-POWERON (1/800-769-3766) telephone line. If a customer has reported an outage, it isn’t necessary to call again unless the customer’s power remains off when a neighbor’s power is restored.

 

Major areas affected as of 4:30 p.m.:

North Carolina

 

South Carolina

*Location

Peak Outages

Number Restored

Outages

Remain.

*Location

Peak Outages

Number Restored

Outages Remain.

Burlington

62,000

18,000

44,000

Anderson

27,200

26,400

800

Chapel Hill

38,700

9,900

28,800

Chester

5,200

4,730

470

Charlotte

296,600

99,800

196,800

Clemson

7,000

7,000

0

Durham

108,900

29,000

79,500

Greenville

115,200

77,000

38,200

Gastonia

60,400

12,300

48,100

Greenwood

9,800

9,400

400

Greensboro

105,800

47,700

58,100

Greer

25,800

17,600

8,200

Hendersonville

2,400

2,350

50

Lancaster

42,400

24,600

17,800

Hickory

67,300

34,600

32,700

Spartanburg

100,000

56,500

43,500

High Point

54,400

12,200

42,200

 

 

 

 

Kannapolis

36,500

15,500

21,000

 

 

 

 

Lenoir

9,900

7,500

2,400

 

 

 

 

Marion

7,000

6,260

740

 

 

 

 

Mooresville

26,300

12,000

14,300

 

 

 

 

N. Wilkesboro

13,300

13,200

100

 

 

 

 

Salisbury

57,200

9,100

48,100

 

 

 

 

Shelby

34,000

16,600

17,400

 

 

 

 

Winston-Salem

36,800

31,300

5,500

 

 

 

 


* These numbers do not reflect outages in all areas of the Duke Power service territory.

 

 

SATURDAY, DEC. 7, WE WILL PROVIDE UPDATES ON OUR MEDIA OUTAGE UPDATE LINE AT 704/382-8333 ON THE FOLLOWING SCHEDULE:

 

6:30 a.m.

11 a.m.

4:30 p.m.

9:30 p.m.

 

 

PLEASE PRESS OPTION 1. THIS OPTION WILL ALSO ALLOW YOU TO REACH A REPRESENTATIVE FOR INTERVIEW.

 

Duke Power, a business unit of Duke Energy, is one of the nation’s largest electric utilities and provides safe, reliable, competitively priced electricity to approximately two million customers in North Carolina and South Carolina. Duke Power operates three nuclear generating stations, eight coal-fired stations, 31 hydroelectric stations and numerous combustion turbine units. Total system generating capability is approximately 19,300 megawatts. More information about Duke Power is available on the Internet at: www.dukepower.com.

 

Duke Energy is a diversified multinational energy company with an integrated network of energy assets and expertise. The company manages a dynamic portfolio of natural gas and electric supply, delivery and trading businesses – meeting the energy needs of customers throughout North America and in key markets around the world. Duke Energy, headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., is a Fortune 500 company traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol DUK. More information about the company is available on the Internet at: www.duke-energy.com.

 

Contact: Media Relations
Phone: (704) 382-8333/PRESS OPTION 1
24 Hour Phone: (704) 382-8333
Email: N/A