NES board orders independent review of winter storm response
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The Nashville Electric Service board of directors on Monday approved an independent review of the power utility's performance during the devastating January ice storm that left half the city without electricity.
Why it matters: Customers and elected officials at every level have slammed NES for communication breakdowns and a painfully long restoration period following the storm, which knocked out power to more than 230,000.
- The board's special meeting addressed the scrutiny: Senior leaders at NES praised the linemen in the field, but acknowledged system failures that marred their response.
What she's saying: "These storms will not end. We will have more crises in the future," NES board member Casey Santos said while arguing for a third-party review by industry experts.
- "We need to do better and we need to look at all the things we can do."
The big picture: Santos said the report should focus on "facts and not politics," adding that every aspect of the fallout should be studied, including the utility's communication, its "operational response" and its technology.
Zoom in: "The results should help guide our next steps as we improve how we communicate, how we respond and how we prepare," Santos said. "Whether that's creating better policies and procedures, being more transparent with Metro regarding needs or running drills to test response plans."
The board quickly voted to approve a third-party review.
Friction point: NES has faced blistering criticism for not providing customers with a realistic timeline for outages and restoration efforts. Many residents were left in limbo, questioning whether to tough it out or head to a hotel.
- NES vice president Brent Baker told board members Monday that the utility cannot generate restoration estimates with its current software. Instead, he said, crews in the field entered information manually.
- Baker added that new technology would also allow NES to stress test the system with mock disaster scenarios.
"Our next investment in technology will be field work and asset management that will have those tools," Baker said.
By the numbers: NES estimates the storm caused between $110 million and $140 million damage to its system.
Between the lines: The board voted to give CEO Teresa Broyles-Aplin increased spending power during an emergency. The move increases the amount its CEO can spend without seeking board approval from $500,000 to $5 million.
- The board also voted to contribute $1 million of its non-ratepayer funds to the city's storm recovery fund.
The bottom line: While there was universal praise for the linemen who worked in freezing conditions to restore power, the special board meeting underscored the furor that persists in the community.
Metro Councilmember Emily Benedict said constituents in her Inglewood and Madison-area district suffered for an extended stretch following the storm.
- "I'm glad there were parts of the response that worked, but when a third of a district is without power for up to two weeks, that's not an outcome residents would describe as a success," she told the board during a public comment period.
What's next: Oversight tied to the winter storm is continuing to ramp up. A special Metro Council hearing on Tuesday will examine the city's storm response.
- Mayor Freddie O'Connell created a Winter Storm Commission to study the issue.
Editor's note: This story was updated with more details about the financial toll of the ice storm.