Oklahoma Gas and Electric Company (OG&E), a subsidiary of OGE Energy Corp (NYSE: OGE), received two Edison Electric Institute (EEI) Emergency Response Awards for its response to tornadic events in Norman and Shawnee in 2023.

The Emergency Response Awards recognize recovery and assistance efforts of electric companies following service disruptions caused by extreme weather or other natural events.

“I am proud of our team’s great work in restoring power following these significant weather events and appreciate EEI’s recognition,” said Sean Trauschke, OGE Energy Corp. Chairman, President and CEO. “OG&E energizes life for the communities we serve, and we help our neighbors when we can. We appreciate the communities we serve each day for their support for our hard-working employees.”

In February, severe storms moved through OG&E’s service area with significant wind damage in Norman, Shawnee, and portions of the Oklahoma City metro. More than 2,500 personnel restored service to homes and businesses following repairs to the grid, including replacing downed power lines, more than 350 broken power poles and other equipment attached to poles.

In April, nearly 2,800 OG&E restoration personnel worked around the clock to energize customers across the service area, primarily in Shawnee, following extensive damage to the grid. At peak, there were 23,000 outages. Crews identified more than 600 broken power poles, 110 damaged transmission structures, cross arms and other equipment attached to poles. The team had brought in additional crews to support extensive restoration efforts until every customer's power was back up and running. Thanks to the hard work of OG&E crews, power was restored to 70% of customers within 72 hours, and to all customers in less than a week.

“Ensuring the safety of our customers, communities, and crews is our industry’s top priority. Safety is especially critical during severe storms and extreme weather events, such as hurricanes, tornadoes, and winter storms,” said EEI President and CEO Tom Kuhn. “I commend OG&E’s commitment to restoring service for its customers safely and efficiently under challenging conditions following the devastating tornadoes in both Norman and Shawnee. OG&E and its storm response team are extremely deserving of this national recognition, and I am honored to present them with this well-earned recovery award.”

The winners were chosen by a panel of judges following an international nomination process, and the awards were presented during EEI’s summer Board of Directors and CEO meeting held earlier this week in conjunction with EEI 2023.

EEI is the association that represents all U.S. investor-owned electric companies. Our members provide electricity for more than 235 million Americans, and operate in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. As a whole, the electric power industry supports more than 7 million jobs in communities across the United States. In addition to our U.S. members, EEI has more than 65 international electric companies, with operations in more than 90 countries, as International Members, and hundreds of industry suppliers and related organizations as Associate Members

OG&E, a subsidiary of OGE Energy Corp., provides our customers in Oklahoma and western Arkansas with the safe, reliable electricity needed to power their businesses and homes with some of the nation's lowest electric rates. We are committed to generating and delivering electricity, protecting the environment, and providing excellent service to approximately 900,000 customers. Our employees live, work, and volunteer in the communities we serve. Follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram.