One year after Hurricane Helene struck Georgia, Georgia Power has reported progress in strengthening its electrical grid and restoring service to affected customers. The hurricane was the most destructive storm in the company’s history, prompting a large-scale response involving more than 20,000 personnel at the peak of restoration efforts. The company worked with partners from across the country to restore power, focusing especially on hard-hit areas such as Valdosta, Augusta, and Savannah. In some cases, helicopters, boats, and unmanned aerial vehicles were used to access difficult locations.
Over the past decade, Georgia Power has invested over $10 billion in smart grid technology and infrastructure improvements following approval from the Georgia Public Service Commission. These investments have led to shorter and less frequent outages while making the grid more resilient during extreme weather events. During Hurricane Helene, automated systems helped reroute power around damaged areas and prevented prolonged outages for thousands of customers in less-affected regions like Metro Atlanta and North Georgia. This allowed repair crews to concentrate their efforts on communities that suffered the most damage.
After initial restoration work was completed within eight days for 95 percent of impacted customers, Georgia Power began rebuilding sections of its grid with updated technology and stronger equipment. Upgrades included new power lines, poles, transformers, and self-healing technologies that automatically detect faults and redirect electricity when outages occur.
Josh Stallings, vice president of strategy and support for Georgia Power said: “We understand the importance of reliable energy for families and businesses and are working every day to plan improvements and align our investments in grid resilience to deliver the best value for customers. While this is an ongoing effort that has been underway for years, following Hurricane Helene, we recognized an opportunity to upgrade sections of the grid in impacted areas while we rebuilt from the ground up in many cases, making them stronger and more resilient. We’re proud to continue to be here for Georgia communities every day.”
Specific projects have been carried out across different regions:
– In Coastal Georgia including Savannah, basic insulation level (BIL) upgrades have strengthened poles and hardware while sectionalizing projects added devices that reduce outage impacts by segmenting feeders.
– In East Georgia around Augusta, more than 90 sectionalizing devices were installed or upgraded as part of a self-healing system designed to limit outage areas and speed up repairs.
– In South Georgia cities such as Hahira and East Valdosta, circuits were upgraded with larger wires; some lines are being moved underground; ten substations across Albany, Bainbridge, Tifton, Valdosta and Waycross are receiving enhancements; new staging areas have also been established for faster future responses.
Further details about these restoration efforts can be found at georgiapower.com/helene.
