Swepco Gives Update on Power in Shreveport Bossier

SHREVEPORT, LA – SWEPCO crews are working around the clock to get the power restored to thousands of residents around Shreveport and Bossier CIty.

The company issued this latest info:

As of noon Monday, June 19, SWEPCO has restored service to approximately 138,000 customers impacted by the severe weather that moved through the region on Friday; an estimated 112,000 remain without power. As a result of the severe weather event, Public Service Commissioners joined with community leaders and SWEPCO to provide an update on the extent of damage and the progress made.

Local Leaders Discussed the Latest on this Storm and the Damage

SWEPCO President and COO Brett Mattison says he has not seen a storm of this magnitude and those sentiments were echoed by Public Service Commissioner Foster Campbell.

Friday’s storm caused major damage to SWEPCO’s transmission system, which delivers high voltage power over long distances from power plants to substations, where the power is converted to voltages appropriate for use in homes and businesses. SWEPCO’s utility poles and distribution wires serving individual homes and businesses also experienced extensive damage. Over 50 transmission lines were forced out of service due to tree and structure damage caused by the extreme weather, half of which have been restored to service.

In addition, nearly 60 Transmission and Distribution substations were impacted. “Without the transmission up, you can’t get power to those homes and businesses, so we’ve been working diligently to get the transmission system back up,” Mattison said.

More than 3,000 line workers have converged on our community to get the power back up and flowing. They are working 16 hours a day to restore service to customers who remain without power. They are making a lot of traction with the transmission repairs and have about 70 percent of the transmission system back up and running. “We won’t stop, and we won’t sleep until that last light is on,” Mattison said. Since Friday, work has continued to complete damage assessments. By leveraging both on ground and aerial assessments, the entire transmission system that spans nearly 700 miles of transmission lines was completed. Teams continue to prioritize stabilizing the system and putting efforts on transmission lines impacting customer stations. Damage to transmission lines can result in significant outages. SWEPCO’s utility poles and distribution wires serving individual homes and businesses also experienced extensive damage. Crews continue to assess and have reported nearly 300 utility poles taken out of service and more than 114 transformers are scheduled to be replaced.