CEMI-4 and CEMI-5 Power Reliability Improvements

CEMI-5 is a reliability metric that stands for ‘Customers Experiencing More Than Five Outages’ of one minute or more in the past year. Since 2014, JEA has utilized the CEMI-5 metric to enhance our already impressive performance in minimizing extended outage frequency and duration rates. The CEMI-5 analysis guides JEA’s engineers and field personnel to specific addresses of customers who have experienced six or more extended outages (lasting one minute or more) within the last 12 months.

Armed with this information, we dispatch crews to neighborhoods for targeted electric reliability improvement projects as needed. Depending on the specific location and identified issues, we may trim trees, replace poles, upgrade other pole equipment, add new animal guards, and enhance power lines. We also conduct thorough checks on transformers during these reliability improvements. If their condition allows, we either refurbish them or replace them with new assets and sell the old units as scrap metal. This approach is more cost-effective than purchasing all new transformers.

The implementation of CEMI-5 improvements has significantly reduced outages over the last decade. Thanks in part to CEMI-5, JEA received the APPA’s Reliable Public Power Award with a Diamond Designation in FY14, FY19, and again in FY22, recognizing our commitment to providing the highest level of reliable and safe electric service. The Diamond status represents the pinnacle achievement in APPA’s national Reliable Public Power Provider (RP3) program and extends through 2025.

With this information in hand, we can then send crews into the neighborhood to review and implement a targeted set of electric reliability improvement projects as needed. Depending on each specific location and the problems found, we may trim trees, change poles, replace transformers, upgrade other pole equipment, add new animal guards and/or upgrade the power lines.

Transformers are also checked carefully during these reliability improvements. Depending on the condition, they could be sold for scrap metal or refurbished. Repairing and rejuvenating used transformers and placing them back in service is much more economical than the expense of purchasing new transformers.

The end result is that the CEMI-5 improvement efforts have worked very well for us; Because the metric had begun to trend down over time, we were able to implement the CEMI-4 process. In part because of CEMI-5, JEA was one of only six utilities nationwide to earn the APPA's Reliable Public Power Award, Diamond Designation in FY14 and again in FY19 for providing the highest degree of reliable and safe electric service.

This designation lasts for three years. When eligible, we will apply for it again.