MINNEAPOLIS (Oct. 10, 2024) – Xcel Energy has employees in Florida ready to respond to power outages from Hurricane Milton after finishing power restoration efforts in Georgia following Hurricane Helene.

Over 100 employees made up of line workers, safety consultants, fleet mechanics and operations leaders from Minnesota, South Dakota, Wisconsin, Colorado, New Mexico and Texas are prepared to respond to power outages in the wake of Milton. Employees are assigned to support Tampa Electric Company and Duke Energy.

Nearly 40 employees from Minnesota and South Dakota are staged in Fort Walton Beach, Florida and are prepared to travel to areas of need.

“This area of the country has been devasted by hurricane damage and we’re grateful to our crews and everyone who has worked tirelessly to restore power. We saw the importance of mutual aid in the wake of Hurricane Helene and are honored to show up once again.” said Bob Frenzel, chairman, president and CEO at Xcel Energy.

“Our employees are trained for this and it’s an honor for them to serve those in need at home and beyond,” said Ryan Long, president, Xcel Energy Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota. “Our crews did a fantastic job cleaning up and restoring power after Hurricane Helene and know they will do the same for the people of Florida after Hurricane Milton.”

Last week, the company sent more than 100 Xcel Energy employees from Minnesota, South Dakota, Wisconsin, Colorado, New Mexico, and Texas to Georgia where they restored power to roughly 2,000 customers, repaired five miles of power lines, fixed 50 broken poles, replaced 10 transformers and cleared debris from Hurricane Helene.

Xcel Energy is part of the Edison Electric Institute’s Mutual Assistance program. Following major storms that bring significant outages, electric companies use this program—a voluntary partnership of electric companies from across the country—to help speed restoration. For more about mutual assistance visit EEI.org.

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About Xcel Energy

Xcel Energy (NASDAQ: XEL) provides the energy that powers millions of homes and businesses across eight Western and Midwestern states. Headquartered in Minneapolis, the company is an industry leader in responsibly reducing carbon emissions and producing and delivering clean energy solutions from a variety of renewable sources at competitive prices. For more information, visit xcelenergy.com or follow us on X, formerly Twitter, and Facebook.