International drive project protection and automation of distribution network

Florida Progress Corp., St. Petersburg, Florida, is a Fortune 500, diversified electric utility holding company. Its principal subsidiary is Florida Power Corporation (FPC), the state's second largest utility, serving about 1.4 million customers, with a growth rate of 2% per year. FPC's service territory covers about 20,000 square miles, in 32 countries in central and northern Florida. A pending acquisition of Florida Progress Corp. by Carolina Power and Light Energy will result in a company that serves 2.8 million customers in a 50,000 square mile area. Included in that service territory is the area around Orlando, Florida, the number one tourist destination in the entire world. One of the main tourist destinations is the area around International Drive (I-Drive), located south of Orlando. Attractions of I-Drive consist of large high-rise hotels, shopping, restaurants and recreational facilities. The area is very aesthetically pleasing, including exquisite landscaping, roadway, and easement infrastructure. I-Drive is home to the 4 million square foot Orange County Convention Center as well. Concentrated in a 3-mile long area, the section of I-Drive that this protection and automation project dealt with consists of over 500 commercial customers, with a peak load of 45 megawatts, and a gross revenue of over $13 million per year. Within a mile of this section of I-Drive is the service boundary of a neighboring electric utility. The competitive threat necessitated development of a state of the art distribution system of unusual reliability to avoid defection of loyal customers.