NORFOLK, Va. — Hurricane season officially starts Saturday, and experts with NOAA predict an above-normal season. Stronger winds mean the possibility of power outages, but Dominion Energy.
The company is celebrating the tenth year of its Strategic Underground Program.
Recently, Dominion Energy finished burying 2,000 miles of overhead power lines underground. The program focuses on burying power lines in vulnerable areas.
The program came into its inception following the derecho in 2012. The straight-line wind thunderstorm left nearly 1 million customers without power. The company says it took over eight days to restore power to all customers.
Through the Strategic Underground Program, Dominion Energy takes a more strategic approach to tackling data-driven outages. The program says it downs transformers and uses directional drilling to place wires underneath grass and driveways.
The program’s marketing and Communications Director, Kristy Edwards, says placing its power lines underground reduces the length of restoration by up to 50%.
“Placing these lines underground we have reduced the amount of repair locations and we have reduced the amount of outages that might have happened during a major storm event so Dominion is ready at any time for a major storm event,” said Edwards.
In addition to the company’s Strategic Underground Program, they say they have materials and crews ready to combat storms during the hurricane season.