July 10, 2018
Ky Power joins in celebrating Lineworker Appreciation Day
ASHLAND, Ky. – Kentucky Power’s aggressive efforts to improve tree trimming has reduced outages by trees inside the right of way by 70 percent over seven years.
In 2010, customers experienced 2,250 outages when trees within the right of way contacted overhead powerlines. That number dropped to 660 in 2017. The dramatic improvements are the result of steps Kentucky Power took with approval from the Kentucky Public Service Commission to increase spending on vegetation management. Since 2010, Kentucky Power has cleared 9,853 miles of overhead lines in eastern Kentucky. That distance is equal to nearly four coast-to-coast trips across the United States.
“Kentucky Power has made significant progress in removing vegetation from within the rights-of-way to improve reliability for our customers,” said Greg Bell, Kentucky Power’s region support manager. “There are more opportunities in front of us with our 5-year trimming cycle.”
Kentucky Power recently completed the first phase of its efforts to trim every mile of its lines. Trimming every mile of line at least once during the first phase was necessary before moving to a 5-year trimming cycle.
Kentucky Power has made such good progress on its trimming plan that the Kentucky Public Service Commission earlier this year approved a proposal to scale back vegetation management spending to save customers money. The plan reduces annual spending from $27 million in 2017 to about $21.5 million in 2018. The first 5-year cycle will begin in January 2019.
“We are proud of this achievement,” Bell said. “But we are far from done. We remain focused on widening opportunities, dead tree abatement and removal of overhanging branches.”
Before 2010, Kentucky Power cleared vegetation, including trees, brush and other growth based on performance. Lines that showed poor reliability and frequent outages were scheduled for clearing. The 5-year trimming cycle is proactive rather than reactive, Bell said.
Bell said Kentucky Power could not have been successful without its forestry contractors. Kentucky Power partners with several vegetation management companies to support clearing efforts: Asplundh Tree Expert Co., Nelson Tree Service, Wright Tree Service, and Davey Resource Group.
###
KY POWER JOINS IN CELEBRATING LINEWORKER APPRECIATION DAY
ASHLAND, Ky., July 10, 2018 – Kentucky Power on Tuesday joined with other investor-owned utilities and electrical and utility unions in recognition of National Lineworker Appreciation Day. The day of celebration salutes nearly 75,000 men and women who work to maintain and enhance the energy grid every day across the United State
National Lineworker Appreciation Day is celebrated each year on July 10, and honors the life and work of Henry Miller, the first president of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers. Kentucky Power employees in Hazard took a brief break on a hot Tuesday afternoon to celebrate with ice cream and watermelon inside in electricity-powered air conditioning.
“Whether working here in eastern Kentucky or elsewhere in an emergency, I am proud of the work Kentucky Power employees do every day,” said Kentucky Power President Matt Satterwhite. “They are dedicated to their work to provide safe and reliable electric service to our customers, and I thank them.”
The nation’s lineworkers are the face of America’s electric companies and often work in dangerous and difficult conditions, said Tom Kuhn, president of the Edison Electrical Institute, the association that represents U.S. investor-owned electric companies.
“Lineworkers are heroes and are among the first responders in the wake of storms and other disasters,” Kuhn said. “The 2017 hurricane season was a massive and unprecedented undertaking, and I am proud of our nation’s lineworkers who pulled together and answered the call for help in Texas, the Southeast, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. We are grateful to these dedicated men and women, and they truly are deserving of this recognition and our appreciation.”
###
Kentucky Power, with headquarters in Ashland, provides electric service to about 168,000 customers in 20 eastern Kentucky counties. Kentucky Power is an operating company in the American Electric Power system, one of the largest electric utilities in the U.S.
