Mississippi Power strengthening Coast power grid in yearly battle with Mother Nature

Mary Perez
·2 min read

Mississippi Power is preparing for this year’s hurricane season just over a month away and for hurricane seasons for years to come.

Starting next week, wooden poles in the most storm prone areas of Biloxi and Gulfport will be replaced with steel or concrete poles designed to better withstand wind and surge from tropical storms.

The work installing steel poles will begin on Switzer Road in Gulfport and crews from Mississippi Power and companies contracted to do the work will continue east toward Biloxi.

Concrete poles will be installed starting on Maples Drive in Gulfport.

More than 250 power poles will be upgraded in these two projects that are expected to be complete by the end of the year.

When complete, more than 8,000 power poles are targeted to be converted to steel and concrete across the Coast.

Much stronger steel and concrete power poles are replacing wood poles in the Mississippi Power service area most prone to high winds and storm surge during a hurricane. The work starts next week and eventually 8,000 poles will be retrofitted.
Much stronger steel and concrete power poles are replacing wood poles in the Mississippi Power service area most prone to high winds and storm surge during a hurricane. The work starts next week and eventually 8,000 poles will be retrofitted.

Some lanes or roads will need to be closed during the work, said Jeff Shepard, spokesman for Mississippi Power.

A team of safety specialists will be on the scene while work is being done to ensure motorists slow down so crews are safe and to minimize the inconvenience for drivers.

The cost of the poles varies depending on size and the price of materials as the project progresses, Shepard said. The expense of the upgrades are figured into the rates over the years the work is done.

“Delivering reliable power is how we bring value to our customers. It’s what they expect from us,” said Melvin Roland, vice president of power delivery and division operations.

The project is protection for more than hurricanes. When a tornado tore through downtown Moss Point in 2023, Shepard said, 75 poles had to be repaired or replaced over two days.

The poles are the most time consuming part of restoring power, he said, since they have to be replaced, new equipment needs to be installed and new wires run.

“Our grid investments have helped our customers avoid more than 5 million outage minutes since the beginning of 2023,” Roland said, which helps the company achieve reliability for more than 191,000 customers in 23 southeast Mississippi counties.