In 2025, Duke Energy Florida reported its lowest average outage duration per customer in over 20 years. The company stated that the average outage lasted about 64 minutes, not including major events such as named storms. This achievement is largely attributed to ongoing grid hardening initiatives throughout the state.
Grid hardening involves targeted investments in infrastructure to maintain reliable electricity service during normal and extreme weather conditions. Duke Energy Florida has implemented several measures as part of these efforts. The company upgraded approximately 60% of its transmission poles from wood to concrete or steel over the past five years, with plans to complete this work by 2028. Additionally, around half of the distribution system now operates underground, which helps reduce outages caused by falling tree limbs and improves accessibility for repairs.
Another significant upgrade is the use of smart, self-healing technology. This system can automatically detect outages and reroute power through other lines, often restoring service in less than a minute or preventing outages altogether. About 82% of Duke Energy Florida’s more than two million customers benefit from this technology. In 2025 alone, it helped avoid roughly 280,000 extended outages and saved millions of hours in outage time during hurricanes Milton, Helene, and Debby in 2024.
Melissa Seixas, state president for Duke Energy Florida, commented on the importance of these improvements: “Thankfully, Mother Nature spared us last year, but living in Florida, we know it’s not a matter of ‘if’ but ‘when’ the next storm is coming,” said Seixas. “This work is designed to significantly improve reliability and help keep the lights on for our customers when they need it most.”
Duke Energy Florida supplies electricity to two million customers across a 13,000-square-mile area in Florida and owns a total energy capacity of 12,300 megawatts. Its parent company Duke Energy serves electric customers across six states and provides natural gas services in five states. More information about Duke Energy’s operations and updates can be found at duke-energy.com and on their social media channels.
