NNEC Completes Restoration Efforts

On Saturday, January 8, Northern Neck Electric Cooperative (NNEC) completed its restoration efforts after a winter storm dropped 8-12” of wet, heavy snow in some parts of its service territory. Damage from the storm was significant bringing nearly a thousand trees down from outside of NNEC’s managed right of way splitting poles in half, bringing down lines, and destroying other electrical components. At the peak, NNEC had over 8,000 members without power caused by over 260 outage events, mostly in Stafford, King George, and Westmoreland counties.

Before the last snow dropped on the region, NNEC had already activated its emergency response plan calling in mutual aid crews from electric cooperatives in Pennsylvania. NNEC lineworkers, engineers, and other employees began restoration efforts immediately. They first focused on repairs on or near substations, then moved to transmission lines, and then distribution lines to individual homes.

NNEC crews along with contractors and mutual aid crews worked day and night to restore power to all its members. In the first few days, abandoned or stuck vehicles slowed lineworkers' efforts. Throughout the week, crews faced below-freezing temperatures. Some of the repairs were inaccessible by heavy equipment, so crews worked by hand to set new poles and replace lines. In fair weather, replacing a pole is dangerous and difficult. In this storm, NNEC lineworkers faced incredibly adverse conditions. “It is hard for us to sleep at night knowing that our neighbors are still without power,” said Greg Dove, serviceman for NNEC. “We take pride in our work to restore power to our coop family,” said Craig Loving, foreman for NNEC, “We won’t stop until everyone is back.”

“Our crews were working hard, 16-hour days in below-freezing weather with wet and icy conditions, inaccessible locations, and difficult, dangerous work. I could not be prouder of their efforts this week,” said Jim Moss, vice president of operations. “Crews replaced or repaired over 50 poles, which is a testament both to the extent of the damage we faced and to their efforts. Our entire restoration team, including mutual aid crews and contractors, did a tremendous job.”

NNEC would like to thank BARC Electric Cooperative, Citizens' Electric Company, Bedford Rural Electric Cooperative, Inc., Adams Electric Cooperative, Inc., Somerset Rural Electric Cooperative, Inc., Claverack REC, United Electric Cooperative, Inc., Northwestern Electric Cooperative, Tri-County Rural Electric Cooperative, Central Electric Cooperative, Warren RECC, and New Enterprise Rural Electric Cooperative, Inc. for their mutual aid assistance. NNEC would also like to thank contractors Napier Utilities and Asplundh as well as first responders throughout the region for their assistance throughout the emergency event.

NNEC’s crews finished the restoration efforts of its members on Saturday, and a mutual aid crew of NNEC lineworkers left early Sunday morning to assist its sister cooperative, Rappahannock Electric Cooperative.

“Cooperatives have a set of operating principles and one of those is “Cooperation among cooperatives,” said Brad Hicks, president and CEO of NNEC. “This principle is a key component of what makes cooperatives different. Lineworkers left their homes in Pennsylvania and Southwest Virginia to help our families here. Now that our restoration efforts are completed, we are also sending a mutual aid crew to support restoration efforts at Rappahannock Electric Cooperative. That is the cooperative difference. Our cooperative family extends beyond the Northern Neck, and we won’t stop until everyone is back on.”