For Immediate Release: June 8, 2018
Tucson, Ariz. – UniSource Energy Services (UES) and other Fortis Inc. utilities were recognized this week by the Edison Electric Institute (EEI) for participating in the unprecedented effort to restore power in Puerto Rico.
EEI, an association of electric companies representing 70 percent of the U.S. electric power industry, presented the 2018 Emergency Assistance Award for Puerto Rico Power Restoration at its annual convention in San Diego to utilities that helped restore power to millions of island residents after Hurricane Maria. The devastating storm made landfall in Puerto Rico on September 20, 2017, damaging at least 80 percent of the island’s energy grid and leaving all residents without power.
UES and its sister company, Tucson Electric Power (TEP), sent six employees and equipment in stages to Puerto Rico. There, it joined associated Fortis utility companies Central Hudson and ITC Holdings Corp., and nearly 60 other private and public electric companies to help repair damage and restore service to the island. UNS Energy, parent company of UES and TEP, is a subsidiary of Fortis Inc.
Electric utilities that provided mutual assistance to the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA) faced challenging restoration work because extensive portions of Puerto Rico’s energy grid are in rugged terrain with little or no road access. About 3,000 industry lineworkers and support personnel were involved in the restoration effort. Last month, PREPA announced that power had been restored to 99 percent of its customers.
UES provides electric service to approximately 96,000 customers in Mohave and Santa Cruz counties. The company also provides natural gas to approximately 156,000 customers in northern and southern Arizona. For more information, visit uesaz.com.
Fortis, Inc. owns utilities that serve more than 3 million customers across Canada and in the United States and the Caribbean. To learn more, visit fortisinc.com.
News Media Contact
Joseph Barrios
(520) 884-3725
jbarrios@uesaz.com
