Cleco Launches Unprecedented Grid Resilience Initiative Across Louisiana
Cleco is rolling out its largest grid resiliency overhaul in company history, aiming to dramatically reduce power outages and speed up restoration times for nearly 300,000 customers. The multi-year investment includes more than 550 projects focused on strengthening electric infrastructure in vulnerable regions across Louisiana.
With construction already underway, the initiative targets critical upgrades such as replacing aging electric equipment, undergrounding power lines in key areas, reinforcing utility poles, and elevating substations above flood risk zones. This broad effort will improve overall system reliability while prioritizing crucial institutions like hospitals and emergency services.
Cutting-Edge Resilience Now Protecting Lives and Livelihoods
Andre Guillory, Cleco’s Chief Customer Officer, stressed the importance of these upgrades for both residential communities and critical services.
“Our resiliency efforts benefit residential customers and a portion of the projects will focus on critical customers, like hospitals and emergency services, whose work is essential during times of crisis,”
Guillory said.
Field teams are currently assessing the condition of over 700 utility poles in multiple cities, including Covington, Eunice, Jeanerette, Lacombe, Madisonville, New Iberia, Pineville, and Slidell, to identify needs for repair or replacement. This hands-on evaluation marks a crucial early step to fortify the high-risk parts of the system.
Industry Experts Confident in Long-Term Savings and Reliability Gains
Danny Rider, Cleco’s director of distribution reliability and resiliency, highlighted the expected benefits across the board.
“These projects will further strengthen systemwide resilience, reduce storm-related costs and result in fewer outages and faster restoration times for our customers,”
Rider said.
Cleco’s commitment to reliability is already proven, having met or exceeded Louisiana Public Service Commission standards for 27 consecutive years and achieving a service uptime rate of over 99.9%. The current expansion aims to build on this track record by proactively addressing vulnerabilities before they cause disruptions.
Strategic Investments Backed by Regional Power Capabilities
Cleco Corporate Holdings LLC operates through Cleco Power LLC, a regulated electric utility with substantial regional influence. The company owns eight generating units with a combined rated capacity of 2,676 MW, supplying both retail and wholesale customers throughout Louisiana.
As climate change drives more intense storms and infrastructure challenges, investments like Cleco’s grid hardening effort set a new standard for keeping power on and protecting communities. For customers, these projects promise more reliable electricity with faster recovery when outages do occur.
What to Expect Next
Work on this expansive resiliency strategy will continue aggressively over the next four years. Residents can expect incremental improvements as outdated equipment is replaced and system vulnerabilities are addressed. Officials urge customers to stay informed of repair schedules and to report any local power issues promptly to aid rapid response.
For energy planners and utilities nationwide—including providers in Colorado—the lessons from Cleco’s historic grid upgrade underscore the urgent need for similar modernization investments to safeguard energy reliability amid evolving risks.
Colorado readers and US energy watchers should track how such initiatives impact rates, storm resilience, and emergency response capabilities moving forward, signaling a shift toward future-proof power systems.
