Today, AES Indiana, a subsidiary of The AES Corporation (NYSE :AES) was announced as an Edison Electric Institute (EEI) Emergency Response Award recipient for its mutual assistance in the wake of Hurricane Ian. Presented to EEI member companies twice a year, the Emergency Response Awards recognize recovery and assistance efforts of electric companies following service disruptions caused by extreme weather or other natural events. The winners were chosen by a panel of judges following an international nomination process, and the awards were presented during EEI’s winter Board of Directors and CEO meeting.
“Throughout the past six months, electric companies faced devastating hurricanes, unprecedented heat waves, and many other extreme weather events that impacted the customers and communities we serve,” said EEI President Tom Kuhn. “I applaud AES Indiana for aiding other electric companies in their times of need. AES Indiana and its storm response team undoubtedly are deserving of this national recognition, and I am honored to present them with this well-deserved award.”
Hurricane Ian was a Category 4 storm that obliterated Southwest Florida with 150 mph winds, unprecedented storm surge and flooding in October. Ian tied for the fifth-strongest hurricane to make landfall in the United States, causing widespread devastation to be among the worst recorded. Approximately 2.7 million customers were without power during peak outage.
To support restoration efforts, AES Indiana sent more than 200 contractor linemen to Florida. They joined a workforce of 21,000 – including mutual assistance from 30 states – to help. Crews worked around the clock to restore electricity to those who lost power in the wake of the storm.
“It’s a privilege to be able to serve and contribute to the spirit of the mutual assistance, which is what we do naturally as a part of our industry,” said Mike Shruba, AES Indiana Vice President of Transmission and Distribution. “This award is a true testament to the safety, hard work and dedication of our people and it’s an honor to be recognized by EEI for the restoration we did in Florida following Hurricane Ian.”
Kristina Lund, AES Indiana President and CEO, accepted the award on behalf of the company at the EEI board meeting. “We are pleased to receive the EEI Emergency Recovery award,” said Lund. “I extend my greatest gratitude to the crews for their hard work and dedication for safe restoration. We commend their work and dedication every day and especially following the devastation and challenges brought on by Hurricane Ian.”
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About AES Indiana
AES Indiana, an AES Company, provides retail electric service to more than 500,000 residential, commercial and industrial customers in Indianapolis, as well as portions of other Central Indiana communities surrounding Marion County. During its long history, AES Indiana has supplied its customers with some of the lowest-cost, most reliable power in the country. Connect with AES Indiana on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. For more information about how AES Indiana is accelerating the future of energy, visit aesindiana.com/hellofuture.
About Edison Electric Institute (EEI)
EEI is the association that represents all U.S. investor-owned electric companies. Its members provide electricity for more than 235 million Americans, and operate in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. As a whole, the electric power industry supports more than 7 million jobs in communities across the United States. In addition to its U.S. members, EEI has more than 65 international electric companies, with operations in more than 90 countries, as International Members, and hundreds of industry suppliers and related organizations as Associate Members.