Lewisville-based Texas-New Mexico Power is sending another 16 employees to help with requests for additional assistance from Baltimore Gas & Electric and First Energy in West Virginia.
The additional employees, also called from several areas statewide, are scheduled to leave Tuesday.
A convoy of 26 TNMP employees and 21 utility vehicles departed Lewisville Oct. 28 to assist with restoration of power outages that occurred when Hurricane Sandy hit the East Coast.
The experienced crews come from throughout the state, including the Gulf Coast, Central Texas and North Texas areas. They expect to arrive in Baltimore Tuesday evening.
TNMP is a member of the Southeastern Electric Exchange, which coordinates mutual assistance efforts following natural disasters. Several utilities on the East Coast are bracing for damage to their systems. TNMP is responding to a request to assist BGE crews.
“The level of assistance requested in preparation for this weather event is unprecedented,” said Neal Walker, president, TNMP. “As a company with operations on the Texas Gulf Coast, we know firsthand the importance of mutual assistance crews following a weather disaster, and we welcome the opportunity to help restore power as safely and quickly as possible for another utility.”
The TNMP crews anticipate helping with a wide variety of post-hurricane restoration work, including the replacement of distribution poles and transformers, repairing downed electrical lines, running new services and repairing transmission structures.
TNMP is a subsidiary of PNM Resources, which also owns PNM, a utility in New Mexico. PNM is sending 40 employees to assist in the Washington, D.C. area. Those employees departed Albuquerque today.
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