- Engineers Week is recognized as Sunday, Feb. 16, through Saturday, Feb. 22
- Dispatchers must complete extensive training to serve as the
"eyes in the sky" of the power grid
ST.
PETERSBURG, Fla., Feb. 17,
2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Duke Energy Florida is
celebrating Engineers Week – recognized as Sunday, Feb. 16,
through Saturday, Feb. 22 – by
highlighting the work of power grid dispatchers and the importance
of training new engineers and technical workers to serve as the
"eyes in the sky" of the grid that delivers power to more than 2
million customers across the company's 35-county service
territory.
"Not only are power grid dispatchers responsible for keeping our
line crews safe – making life-critical decisions all day, every day
– but they also help ensure our customers receive the reliable
service they need to lead full, productive lives," said
Melissa Seixas, Duke Energy Florida
state president. "It's a high-risk yet extremely important job, and
I'm grateful to all the men and women who have stepped up, or will
step up, to support our team and keep the lights on for our
customers for years to come."
Becoming an associate power grid dispatcher at Duke Energy
Florida's Distribution Control Center (DCC) requires extensive
training, including nearly two years of classroom and on-the-job
experience, as well as problem-solving skills that are often gained
from electrical engineering degrees and/or backgrounds in utility
line work.
Dedicated teams of power grid dispatchers work in 12-hour
rotating shifts to provide 24/7 coverage at the DCC. They
communicate directly with Duke Energy Florida's line crews working
in the field – either making upgrades to infrastructure or
responding to outage events like storms – following strict
processes and protocols to maintain the safety of everyone
involved. They operate multiple complex computer systems and alarms
to keep the power flowing, while also using innovative tools and
technologies that help reduce customer outage times or avoid
outages altogether.
A steady pipeline of power grid dispatchers is fundamental to
Duke Energy Florida's continued operational success and, in turn,
the well-being of its customers. For more information about the job
and to view open positions at the DCC as they become available,
please visit duke-energy.com/Our-Company/Careers.
Duke Energy Florida
Duke Energy Florida, a subsidiary
of Duke Energy, owns 12,300 megawatts of energy capacity, supplying
electricity to 2 million residential, commercial and industrial
customers across a 13,000-square-mile service area in
Florida.
Duke Energy
Duke Energy
(NYSE: DUK), a Fortune 150 company headquartered
in Charlotte, N.C.,
is one of America's largest energy holding companies. The company's
electric utilities serve 8.4 million customers in North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Indiana, Ohio
and Kentucky, and collectively own
54,800 megawatts of energy capacity. Its natural gas utilities
serve 1.7 million customers in North
Carolina, South Carolina,
Tennessee, Ohio and Kentucky.
Duke Energy is executing an ambitious energy transition, keeping
customer reliability and value at the forefront as it builds a
smarter energy future. The company is investing in major electric
grid upgrades and cleaner generation, including natural gas,
nuclear, renewables and energy storage.
More information is available at duke-energy.com and the Duke
Energy News Center. Follow Duke Energy on X, LinkedIn, Instagram
and Facebook, and visit illumination for stories about the people
and innovations powering our energy transition.
Contact: Aly Raschid
24-Hour: 800.559.3853
X: @DE_AlyRaschid
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SOURCE Duke Energy
