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LUS paid millions to LUS Fiber for monitoring system it already had

Posted at 9:40 PM, Jul 16, 2019
and last updated 2019-07-16 22:40:03-04

According to the Advertiser, LUS paid LUS Fiber millions for power outage monitoring, even though it had already installed a $22 million system that provided the same service.

As early as 2009, LUS began developing a smart-grid system for monitoring power outages. The utilities company paid for half of the system and the federal government paid for the other half.

As the system was being developed, LUS also began paying LUS Fiber $1 million a year for power outage monitoring.

These payments began in 2011 and continued until the project was completed in 2013.

Last week, Mayor-President Joel Robideaux wrote a letter to the Louisiana Public Service Commission about the questionable payments.

Former LUS director Terry Huval said last week that LUS Fiber's monitoring system was kept as a backup measure.

To read the Advertiser's complete article, click here.