EL PASO, TEXAS (KFOX14/CBS4) — As extreme heat drives up electricity use across the borderland, El Paso Electric says the extra demand can put more pressure on equipment and force crews to quickly prioritize outages and safety hazards.
At the utility’s Distribution Operations Center, operators monitor incoming reports of power problems, determine which calls need the fastest response and dispatch crews across the service area. El Paso Electric prioritizes safety hazards such as downed wires, even if another outage affects more customers.
Andrew Lozano, a supervisor in distribution operations, said the center helps connect emergency calls to field response. “We are the bridge. That gap between a phone call to our first responders and our field crews to handle all trouble, emergency and outages,” Lozano said…