Waterpower Intelligence Theater – Hurricane Helene: Part 2 of 2: The Aftermath – Impacts to the Duke Energy System and Organization; Restoration – Powerhouses, Waterways, and Dams

This session, Part 2 of 2, focuses on the following:

The Aftermath – Impacts to the Duke Energy System and Organization, presented by Bryan Walsh, Duke Energy
Restoration - Powerhouses, Waterways and Dams, presented by Trevor Turner, Duke Energy

Details of each presentation are described below.
The Aftermath – Impacts to the Duke Energy System and Organization, presented by Bryan Walsh, Duke Energy

Six of Duke Energy's eight river basins in the western portion of North and South Carolina were significantly impacted by the wrath of Hurricane Helene. Four reservoirs set new flood of records as result of the storm. Much of western North and South Carolina was devastated from downed trees, flooding, and loss of power and infrastructure.

The first step following the event was obtaining access to the affected hydro assets and performing the subsequent inspections. All dams were validated safe; however, tailwaters flooded four powerhouses and littered reservoirs with debris. The inoperability of these station challenged our ability to manage reservoirs and created additional flooding risks. It was imperative that the team move swiftly into action, and this required making temporary organizational changes to support a responsive recovery.

Restoration - Powerhouses, Waterways and Dams, presented by Trevor Turner, Duke Energy

Helene flooding significantly affected four of Duke Energy’s conventional hydro powerhouses at four different reservoirs across western North Carolina and upstate South Carolina, rendering them incapable of operating. A dedicated recovery team was formed to access the damage to the facilities; develop testing and acceptance criteria of cabling and equipment damaged; and develop a recovery project to address equipment damage, structural damage, and manage financial recovery mechanisms.

Primary goals/milestones for each project were established to restore minimum flows where required, restore generating units to service to serve peak winter loads, and regain reservoir level control margin on several key reservoirs. This structure aligned key enterprise departments from Government and Community Relations, Operations, Projects, Supply Chain, Insurance and Claims, Transmission, Telecomm, Environmental, Health and Safety, and so forth to streamline processes allowing for an expeditious recovery.

Presenters

Eddie Duncan

Chair

General Manager, Regional Services at Duke Energy Corporation

Bryan Walsh

Speaker

Vice President, Carolinas Regulated Renewables & Lake Services at Duke Energy Corporation

Trevor Turner

Speaker

Manager, Hydro East; Formerly Superintendent Maintenance at Duke Energy Corporation