Duke Energy Florida completes Ulmerton Storm Staging Site to support future Pinellas County storm restoration efforts

• The staging site will be used to host storm response support in the days surrounding a named hurricane, including equipment, trucks and even lineworkers

• The dedicated storm staging site allows Duke Energy to quickly respond following a hurricane, supporting customers in St. Petersburg, Clearwater and beyond

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Duke Energy Florida has completed buildout of its Ulmerton Storm Staging Site, a dedicated and secure area that will be used to host storm response resources in the event of a hurricane. The company also leverages space at nearby businesses, schools and community organizations, including St. Pete College, Tropicana Field, Wagon Wheel Flea Market, local churches and several other businesses.

The Ulmerton Storm Staging Site is the company's first dedicated facility in Pinellas County, providing a long-term base for crews and resources. In the past, the company relied primarily on temporary space at partner facilities, which often became unavailable once those sites resumed normal operations. The new site ensures Duke Energy has a dedicated location for as long as restoration work is needed after a storm.

Resources staged at Ulmerton can be deployed as soon as safely possible once a storm passes, allowing faster power restoration to customers in St. Petersburg, Clearwater and beyond.

What they're saying

"Our customers in St Petersburg and Clearwater can be reassured that we are working as quickly as possible to restore power in the event of a hurricane in our area," said Melissa Seixas, president, Duke Energy Florida. "Dedicated storm staging sites, like our newest one at Ulmerton, will allow us to host critical resources close by so we can quickly turn lights back on for our customers."

"From the Ulmerton Storm Staging Site, we'll be able to get right into all areas of Pinellas County," said Todd Fountain, GM, emergency preparedness, Duke Energy Florida. "Having our staging site centrally located helps us get to critical areas faster. We learned during past storms the importance of getting resources here prior to the storm making landfall. So, we'll house teams in a safe place, just outside the path of the storm, and keep about 300 vehicles at the staging site so we're ready to go as soon as it's safe."

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: Laitin Sterling
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