Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands, October 6th, 2008 - PPC Ltd. has been working aggressively to get electricity restored to all its customers. Four weeks to the date of the passing of Hurricanes Hanna and Ike, the company is happy to report that 100% of its overall customers in the islands of Providenciales, Middle and North Caicos and 80% South Caicos have power. The company's linesmen and overseas crew from parent company Fortis continue to work diligently to have power restored to everyone as expeditiously as possible.
Brian Walsh, VP, Operations at PPC commenting on the progress stated "Restoration of service to our customers has proceeded ahead of schedule because of team work, support from our parent company Fortis Inc, and an overwhelming commitment of resources. Our employees showed tremendous dedication; our customers, particularly on South Caicos and Middle Caicos, which were hit hard by the hurricanes, showed great community fortitude; On North Caicos, it was inspiring to see the people from the community come out and just give support to our crews in restoring power to their communities. It was the epitome of what community spirit is all about".
Mr. Powell, CEO thanked the staff and crew for their hard work and customers for their patience and understanding. "I am very gratified that in as many areas as we could, given the time pressures we were under, we rebuilt our systems better and stronger".
Below is an update by island on the restoration efforts.
Providenciales:
The restoration process in Providenciales surpassed expectations and was ahead of schedule. The company is happy to report that 100% of residential and commercial power has been restored.
The underwater cable between Providenciales, Pine Cay, Dellis Cay, and North Caicos has been repaired. This returns the system to normal operation with the load being fed from Providenciales.
Currently, repair work is being undertaken on streetlights along the main thoroughfares to get all lights back to working condition.
North Caicos:
Power has been restored to 100% of customers in North Caicos. The main line of Bottle Creek, which was the last community needing restoration has been fixed. The company is currently working on lateral restoration, and anticipates that full power will be restored to North Caicos within a week.
Middle Caicos:
Power has been fully restored to all areas in Middle Caicos. PPC is currently working on the underwater / overhead tie between North and Middle Caicos. Repair work on this tie between the two islands will take about a week to return the system to normal.
South Caicos:
Though South Caicos suffered considerable damage from Hurricanes Hanna and Ike, to date, 60% of the electrical system has been rebuilt on the island. The company is striving to have power fully restored to South Caicos by the end of next week.
Upon completion of the restoration in South Caicos, the island will have the most robust and best distribution network system in Caribbean, an investment of approximately $2.5M.
PPC continues to urge heavy vehicle movers, contractors and residents moving boats to be attentive when driving to avoid the power lines and poles as these impact the restoration and rebuilding efforts.
PPC would also like to remind customers that payment for the August and September bills are due.
P.P.C. Ltd. and Atlantic Equipment & Power Limited (Atlantic), commonly known as Fortis Turks and Caicos, are indirect wholly owned subsidiaries of Fortis Inc. Fortis Turks and Caicos serves approximately 9,000 customers in the Turks & Caicos Islands. The Company is the sole provider of electricity in Providenciales, North Caicos, Middle Caicos and South Caicos. The Company has a combined diesel-fired generating capacity of approximately 48 megawatts.
CONTACT:
Allan Robinson
VP, Customer & Corporate Service
P.P.C Limited (PPC)
Tel: 649-946-4313
Email: arobinson@ppcltd.tc
