POWERGRAMS

43 At Alabama Power, decision-makers often meet in the company's Storm Center on the 10th floor of Corporate Headquarters in Birmingham. "It's as simple as when a storm hits, the executive director of the SEE schedules a call within a couple of hours," said Hawthorne, Distribution Engineering Services manager - Power Delivery, Corporate Headquarters. "You're in storm mode, and the question is all about who needs help and how much can others send." It's a job that requires longtime, high-level industry experience and expansive knowledge of the electrical grid. Hawthorne is well-suited to take a seat at EEI's leadership table. He began at Alabama Power in 1979, after earning a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering at Auburn University. He was initially stationed at the 12th Street Birmingham District Office, followed by working at several locations in the Birmingham area. In 2000, he became supervisor of the Birmingham Underground Network Department. Hawthorne worked in Mobile Division from 2007 to 2009 before returning to Corporate Headquarters as Underground Network Reliability manager. Hawthorne has been a Storm Center co-director since 2010, helping determine the company's needs before, during and after some of the Southeast's most brutal storms. Hawthorne and the company's other Storm Center co-directors – PD Budget and Planning Manager Chuck Coleman, PD Contract Services Manager Corey Sweeney and Transmission Engineering Services Manager Yvonne Essix – represent Alabama Power during mutual assistance calls. "It's almost like a delicate ballet, at times, meshing the need for trucks, equipment, personnel and materials, and deciding where they are most needed. That's an important decision when storm damage spreads throughout the Southeast or other regions of the country," Hawthorne said. "We oversee our company's restoration efforts and talk to other companies about their most critical needs," he said. "The April 2011 tornadoes and Hurricane Ivan were our two largest restoration events. Line crews from 34 states and from Canada helped restore the distribution system after the 2011 tornadoes." EEI helped restore power throughout Puerto Rico after devastating hurricanes rocked the island. Working with EEI, in December 2017, Southern Company was asked to assist. Southern Company sent 206 employees, 115 of whom were from Alabama Power. The team continued the Puerto Rico restoration support into April. It was a major effort, coordinating the transportation of workers, vehicles and material to the island. Alabama Power management team members identified staging areas and lodging for crew members, and handled the challenges of the restoration efforts. "We sent a couple of drone pilots with our team," Hawthorne said. "It was really mountainous terrain and they were very valuable in helping patrol inaccessible lines. Eventually, they were used to pull in over 67,000 feet of rope to assist in the replacement of downed power lines. "Drones were very instrumental in restoring service to the customers," he said. "Our drone pilots were called on by other utilities, as well. Our folks did a great job in a very difficult situation." Earning a seat at the table Hawthorne said it's important for Alabama Power and Southern Company to be at EEI's leadership table. His participation will ensure the company has a voice in mutual assistance planning and improving Alabama Power's ability to safely and efficiently restore service to customers. The role requires a five-year commitment on Hawthorne's part, but with his experience at Alabama Power and the SEE, he looks forward to the opportunities and challenges of serving as a committee officer. "The organizations were developed to help all of us be better during storm restorations," he said. "We hope to continue developing a national mutual assistance process and sharing best practices." To onlookers, the sight of an electric-utility caravan on its way to restore power after a disaster often seems effortless. That belief is belied by the thousands of hours of planning, studies and effort by EEI, SEE and member utilities that enable electric utilities to work in unison, when needed. "It might look easy, but it takes the effort of many people from several departments to assemble and deploy a storm team to assist another company," Hawthorne said. Hawthorne started at APC in 1979. Hawthorne, Southern Company CEO Tom Fanning and former APC President Charles McCrary confer after April 2011 tornadoes.

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