PINEVILLE, La. – April 16, 2020 – This Saturday, April 18, Cleco will celebrate National Line Mechanic Appreciation Day by honoring its line mechanics with words of thanks and invites customers to participate by posting on the company’s Facebook page @ClecoPower.

“These men and women deserve our gratitude every day.  They also are among the many frontline heroes working during this COVID-19 pandemic.  Their commitment to keeping the lights on supports other critical industries and protects public health and safety,” said Shane Hilton, president of Cleco Power.  “We’re asking our communities to please join us in recognizing our crews by recording a video or writing a note of thanks.” 

Cleco’s 168 line mechanics are responsible for keeping electricity flowing for 288,000 customers, maintaining 12,000 miles of distribution lines and 1,300 miles of transmission lines across Louisiana and restoring power after a storm. 

“Our crews often work long hours in sometimes hazardous conditions and sacrifice time with their families to keep the lights on for our customers,” said Hilton.  “At the same time, the dedication of Cleco line mechanics extends outside Louisiana, as crews are often called away from their families for days, weeks or even months to help neighboring utilities restore power to their customers following severe weather events.” 

This year, the Edison Electric Institute (EEI) presented Cleco Power with the association’s Emergency Recovery Award for its outstanding power restoration efforts after Hurricane Barry hit the state last year.  It is the company’s fifth storm recovery award since the program began in 1998.  Beyond Louisiana borders, Cleco crews have received seven EEI Emergency Assistance Awards for their outstanding response in assisting other electric companies with power restoration following a severe weather event or natural disaster. 

Visit Cleco’s Facebook page @ClecoPower to share a word of thanks to its line crews for their dedication to providing safe, reliable power.

Cleco Corporate Holdings LLC is a regional energy holding company that conducts its business operations through its subsidiaries, Cleco Power LLC and Cleco Cajun LLC. Cleco Power is a regulated electric public utility company that owns 10 generating assets with a total nameplate capacity of 3,360 MWs and serves approximately 288,000 customers in Louisiana through its retail business and supplies wholesale power in Louisiana and Mississippi.  Cleco Cajun is an unregulated utility company that owns eight generating assets with a total nameplate capacity of 3,555 MWs, with contracts serving nine Louisiana cooperatives, three wholesale municipal customers and one electric utility.  For more information about Cleco, visit us at www.cleco.com