Madison, Wis. – December 21, 2012 – Wisconsin Power and Light Co. (WPL), an Alliant Energy Company, continues to escalate its response to yesterday’s winter storm. Over 17,000 customers were left without power during the extended period of high winds and large snowfall. Alliant Energy, contractor and neighboring utility crews from around the state are on site in many of the hardest hit regions.
Crew members restoring power are supported by a team of Alliant Energy employees completing engineering efforts, staffing our call centers, operating our dispatch center, procuring needed supplies, and getting materials to the hard hit locations. Crews worked all day yesterday, throughout last night, and will continue to work until all customers are restored.
Road conditions, significant widespread outages in rural areas and extensive damage to electric structures, poles and lines are posing considerable challenges to the restoration effort. While steady progress is being made, we expect that it could be several hours or more before most customers have power and it is a possibility that electric service may not be fully restored to some rural customers until tomorrow.
As of 4:20 p.m. Central Standard Time, the homes and businesses of approximately 2,800 Alliant Energy customers in Wisconsin remained without electric service with approximately 1,200 of those customers located in Walworth County and the rest being scattered across several counties. Alliant Energy customers experiencing an electric outage are encouraged to call 1-800-ALLIANT (1-800-255-4268). If customers have an emergency, they should call 911 immediately. For additional assistance due to the cold and lack of power, customers can call 211 to reach a community resource specialist.
“This was a very powerful winter storm and the strongest part of it directly struck our electric service territory. We had damage stretching from southwest to northeast Wisconsin over miles and miles,” said Diane Schuler, Alliant Energy Director of Energy Delivery Resources. “We have all resources within our company, as well as additional contractor and utility crews focused on restoring power to impacted customers. We appreciate your patience and assure you we won’t stop until all customers are restored.”
Wisconsin Power and Light Company (WPL), based in Madison, Wis., provides electric service to approximately 459,000 customers and natural gas service to approximately 180,000 customers in more than 600 communities across central and southern Wisconsin. WPL is committed to providing the energy and exceptional service its customers and communities expect – safely, reliably, and affordably. WPL is a subsidiary of Alliant Energy Corporation, for more information, visit alliantenergy.com or call 1-800-ALLIANT (800-255-4268).