MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Mayor Jim Strickland said he plans to work with MLGW to appoint an advisory board to solve the ongoing problem of power outages after weather events.
Strickland brought up the plan in an appearance before City Council on Tuesday. Power outages affected about 1 in 3 customers for days after a Feb. 3 ice storm, and was only fully restored Monday.
“What are our options to avoid these massive storm outages?” Strickland asked. “I was here in Hurricane Elvis, the 1994 ice storm. It happens over and over, and frankly, we haven’t done much to address those issues. It’s time that we do.”
Strickland said he spoke with MLGW President and CEO JT Young about the board. It would be chaired by Young and city COO Doug McGowen, with a representative from City Council and community input.
The Power Supply Advisory Team would look at at tree trimming, infrastructure improvements, burying the power lines and other options so the community can make a decision, he said.
Young said the team would be able to focus on recommendations for improvement within 60 to 90 days.
Young said this winter storm was the fourth-largest event ever to affect MLGW customers, just after the Tom Lee Storm of 2017. MLGW had more than 1,100 field personnel working to restore about 70 downed circuits.
“Now that we’ve restored electricity, we must work to restore trust and credibility with our customers, community and all stakeholders,” Young said in a presentation to council.
Young said MLGW has suspended disconnections for now and is offering additional bill payment assistance. The utility is considering no-interest loans to eligible customers for electrical work associated with storm damage.
Strickland already has said recently that running lines underground is an option worth studying, though he’s not ready to advocate for it just yet. The underground option would cost between $6 billion and $8 billion, Strickland said.
Young said 40% of MLGW’s power lines are currently located underground, compared to less than 18% in Nashville.