From the Top with CEO Patrick Grace

While I’m sure most of us would like to, who can forget last February and all the records it set? Winter Storm Uri threw the electric grid for a loop and forced utility providers to put plans in place in case it happens again. Thanks to those sub-freezing days, we’ve seen that weather in extreme temperatures can exceed the capability of the power system, despite all the precautions we take. While we don’t necessarily expect it to happen, we’re as ready as we can be with a plan in place and hopes we don’t have to execute it.

We’re getting our first look at how our system performed in 2021, and, despite Southwest Power Pool-enforced outages, the overall numbers look pretty great. Last year, we implemented our first self-healing technology and are excited to take a big step toward a self-healing grid. Thanks to a practice we call system hardening, our crews have been hard at work the last few years replacing aged equipment and implementing new technology that allows us unprecedented access and control over our system. The fiber infrastructure we’ve added ensures we can communicate with devices and equipment in the field at lightning-fast speeds right here from our office. All of this aids us in our mission to improve our members' quality of life with reliable electric and fiber services.

Though we’ve invested greatly in improving the performance of our system and work tirelessly to reduce our outages and response times, extreme weather will almost always win. We will continue to aggressively pursue a more reliable, efficiently-performing system for our members, so you can expect to continue seeing OEC and contractor crews out trimming trees and keeping vegetation away from power lines. This has proven to be one of the most effective actions we can take to protect our system — and your power supply — when the high winds, freezing rain, thunderstorms and other extreme weather events make their way to Oklahoma.

If we've learned anything, it's that we can always expect the unexpected when it comes to weather in Oklahoma. Whatever comes, know we are standing ready to respond.