MP, SWL&P linemen line up to help Puerto Rico
Ref. NG/20C3In early January 2018, linemen from Minnesota Power (MP) and Superior Water, Light & Power (SWL&P) were dispatched to Puerto Rico to assist in rebuilding the island’s electrical grid. The deployment was part of a large, coordinated mutual aid response following the catastrophic damage caused by Hurricane Maria nearly four months earlier.
The crews from the two ALLETE-owned utilities joined thousands of other utility workers from across the United States in an effort to restore power to residents and businesses. At the time of their arrival, hundreds of thousands of people on the island still lacked electricity.
Scale of the Restoration Effort
Hurricane Maria made landfall in Puerto Rico in September 2017 as a powerful Category 4 storm, causing widespread devastation and destroying the majority of the island’s power infrastructure. The local utility, the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA), was overwhelmed by the scale of the damage, prompting a massive request for assistance from mainland utilities.
By January 2018, the restoration was a complex, ongoing operation. According to reports from the time, approximately 3,500 personnel were already engaged in the effort, including workers from PREPA, the New York Power Authority, Con Edison, and contractors for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The arrival of additional crews, including those from Minnesota and Wisconsin, was intended to accelerate the slow pace of recovery, particularly in more remote and difficult-to-reach areas.
Complex Logistical Preparations
Deploying crews and heavy equipment to an island required significant logistical planning. The source report noted that an advance team of two Minnesota Power employees had traveled to Puerto Rico in December 2017. Their task was to arrange for essential support systems for the incoming linemen, including lodging, food, and other necessities for the duration of their stay.
Specialized utility vehicles, such as bucket trucks and other machinery, could not be driven to the island. Instead, they were transported by sea. Equipment for the multi-utility contingent was gathered and shipped via barges from staging areas on the mainland, including the Port of Lake Charles in Louisiana, ahead of the crews’ arrival.
A National Mutual Aid Operation
The response was coordinated through the Edison Electric Institute (EEI), an association representing U.S. investor-owned electric companies, which facilitates a mutual assistance network. This network allows utilities to request and provide aid during major service disruptions caused by natural disasters.
Under this framework, the costs incurred by participating utilities for providing assistance, including labor, equipment, and accommodation, were expected to be reimbursed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) as part of the federal disaster relief effort. The involvement of FEMA and the Army Corps of Engineers underscored the classification of the grid restoration as a critical component of the national emergency response.
Questions about this record
Why were crews from Minnesota and Wisconsin sent to Puerto Rico?
They were sent to help rebuild Puerto Rico's electrical grid, which was almost completely destroyed by Hurricane Maria in September 2017. The island's local utility, PREPA, was unable to manage the immense scale of the damage alone, necessitating a massive mutual aid response from utilities across the mainland United States to restore power.
Who organized the deployment of these utility crews?
The deployment was part of a national mutual aid response coordinated by the Edison Electric Institute (EEI). This organization facilitates assistance between electric companies during large-scale emergencies. The effort was conducted in partnership with federal agencies like FEMA and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which were overseeing the disaster recovery.
What kind of work did the linemen do in Puerto Rico?
The linemen were tasked with the physical labor of rebuilding the electrical infrastructure from the ground up. This work included setting new utility poles, stringing miles of new power lines, and repairing or replacing damaged transformers and substations. Their objective was to restore electricity to communities that had been without power for several months.
How did the crews get their large trucks and equipment to the island?
Specialized equipment, including bucket trucks and other heavy vehicles, had to be transported by sea. As noted in reports at the time, the machinery was loaded onto barges at mainland ports, such as the Port of Lake Charles in Louisiana, and shipped to Puerto Rico. This complex logistical step was arranged before the line crews arrived to begin their work.