OGE Energy : OG&E answers call to join ongoing power restoration in Puerto Rico

OKLAHOMA CITY- OG&E will deploy crews to Puerto Rico to support an industry led effort for ongoing power restoration on the island. More than a dozen investor-owned electric companies are mobilizing crews at the request of the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA) in conjunction with the Edison Electric Institute (EEI), the American Public Power Association (APPA) and the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA).

On Dec. 28, OG&E will deliver 50 of its vehicles to Lake Charles, LA. The vehicles will be loaded onto a barge for transport to Puerto Rico. Following the vehicle shipment, OG&E will send an advance team to the island to unload vehicles, coordinate lodging for crews and secure staging areas.
On Saturday, Jan. 13, a contingent of 50 OG&E crew members will leave for Puerto Rico, and are scheduled to begin work Monday, Jan. 15. After 20 days, those crew members will be released, and 50 new OG&E crew members will arrive and continue work for at least another 20 days.

'We're proud to lend our crews and expertise in this industry effort to support ongoing power restoration in Puerto Rico,' said Keith Mitchell, COO, OGE Energy Corp. 'Our crews are ready to go to work for the citizens in Puerto Rico. For our customers here at home, rest assured that we will fully support and maintain our daily operations and service.'

Restoration on the island is under the direction of seven regional incident management teams. Crew members from OG&E are assigned to the Arecibo region along with crews from Dallas-based Oncor and Houston-based CenterPoint Energy. Crews in the Arecibo region will be coordinated by San Francisco-based Pacific Gas and Electric (PGE).

After the request for mutual assistance was first received from PREPA in early November, EEI, APPA and the NRECA have been working to supply technical expertise, materials, equipment, and resources to the island. The deployment of additional crews represents the next phase in the mutual assistance response. With this new wave, the total number of power restoration workers will increase to more than 5,500. This includes the resources already working on the island from PREPA's own crews, a contingent of crews from New York who are working as part of an intergovernmental agreement, and crews mobilized under U.S. Army Core of Engineer contracts.

'Providing support to fellow electric companies in need is a hallmark of our industry, and I am very proud of our unique mutual assistance program,' said EEI President Tom Kuhn.

About OG&E
Oklahoma Gas & Electric Company, a subsidiary of OGE Energy Corp. (NYSE: OGE), is Oklahoma's largest electric utility. For more than a century, we have provided customers in Oklahoma and western Arkansas the safe, reliable electricity needed to power their businesses and homes at rates below the national average. Our employees are committed to generating and delivering electricity, protecting the environment and providing excellent service to our more than 836,000 customers. OG&E has 6,700 MW of electric generation capacity fueled by low-sulfur coal, natural gas, wind and solar. OG&E is recognized as a leader in smart grid technology, leveraging this platform to provide customers with the award-winning SmartHours® program and setting the stage for an electric vehicle program that will include some level of public charging infrastructure, and advanced LED street and security lighting. OG&E employees live, work and volunteer in the communities we serve. For more information about OG&E, visit us on the Internet at http://www.oge.com or follow us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ogepower and Twitter: @OGandE.

Contact:
Kathleen O'Shea
(405) 553-3616