- On April 18, Duke Energy
celebrates the men and women who keep the lights on for customers
every day
- Lineworkers play a critical role in the clean energy
transition and building the grid of the future
- Over the past seven years, Duke Energy and its Foundation
have invested nearly $4 million to
strengthen its lineworker talent pipeline
CHARLOTTE, N.C., April 16,
2024 /PRNewswire/ -- When the lights go out – whether
it is from severe weather, vehicle accidents or animal interference
– lineworkers respond by getting the lights on for our customers
and communities.
On April 18, Duke Energy
recognizes National Lineworker Appreciation Day and the
work of these vital employees, who ensure customers and communities
have safe, reliable power, and play a key role in enabling the
infrastructure that will drive our energy future.
"Our line, substation and relay technicians are invaluable
teammates who are among the first to respond in the aftermath of
storms and large-scale weather events that can impact thousands,
often making the scene safe for other first responders," said
Scott Batson, chief power grid
officer at Duke Energy. "Safely powering the communities we serve
is our No. 1 job and it could not be accomplished without the
extraordinary commitments of these teams."
Just another day on the job
For these thousands of Duke Energy lineworkers – from
transmission technicians working on high-voltage transmission lines
that carry electricity from power plants to distribution
technicians working on the lines that carry power to homes and
businesses – no matter the circumstances, it's just another day on
the job.
Here are a few things to know about this gutsy group and their
unique role:
- Extreme elements come with the work
environment. Lineworkers frequently face challenging
conditions, including storms, oppressive heat, bitterly cold
temperatures and flooding.
- The job is elevated. Line work frequently requires
work in challenging weather conditions on transmission towers at
heights of up to 120 feet, while attached to a 40-foot pole, or
from an elevated bucket truck – always with strict safety
precautions in place.
- They get physical. Line work is an outdoor,
hands-on, physical role. Besides working safely with high voltage,
the steel-toe boots, hooks for scaling poles, and climbing belts
lineworkers use or wear can weigh up to 30 pounds each.
- Commitment is contagious. Lineworkers' dedication to
their jobs, passion for their craft, continued learning and eternal
support of one another on and off the job makes a difference in the
lives of customers who depend on reliable power.
- Family and community are priorities. Lineworkers
often live close to and work in their own communities – from larger
cities to more rural towns – and Duke Energy continues to hire
across the range of geographic areas it serves.
- Conversing in code is customary. Lineworkers have
their own lingo – nicknames for tools and tasks have been
passed down from one generation of lineworkers to the next.
- Long-term learning improves
expertise. Lineworkers are highly skilled
professionals who undergo rigorous training to work with
electricity safely and efficiently. Their extensive progression of
training over several years includes written and field tests that
must be successfully completed to demonstrate expertise and job
knowledge.
- Safety is foundational. Line teams prioritize
safety above everything else – mitigating hazards whenever possible
and always watching out for the safety of those around them.
Guarding the future grid
Beyond keeping the lights on, lineworkers also play a key role
in power grid improvement projects that are helping modernize and
strengthen Duke Energy's system. This includes protection against
storms and other impacts, making the grid more reliable and
resilient, as well as integrating new and cleaner energy
technologies.
"The grid is a massive, complex system that works nonstop to
provide reliable power to our customers. Our transmission and
distribution line, substation and relay technicians have a
fundamental role in making sure it is prepared to support the
growth we are seeing in our regions and to enabling the addition of
more renewables to our system at an ambitious pace," said Batson.
"This work can include upgrading lines and poles, undergrounding
outage-prone lines where data indicates it is prudent to do so, and
enhancing grid reliability through the integration of smart,
self-healing technology – which saved more than 1.5 million
customer interruptions and avoided more than 3.5 million hours of
customer outage time in 2023."
Hiring and developing craft and skilled talent is critical to
address the growing energy needs of customers and to continue to
make grid upgrades for the future. The company continues to hire
talent and works closely with community colleges across its company
footprint to recruit diverse, skilled candidates.
"It's important to me to be able to serve my community by
building and maintaining a resilient power grid to help people with
their daily needs and quality of life," said Miles Bell, journeyman lineworker with Duke
Energy's Spartanburg Operations Center. "This is an industry and
career field that is constantly evolving and is rewarding in so
many ways."
Over the past seven years, Duke Energy and its Foundation have
provided nearly $4 million in funding
to support lineworker programs in states where the company
operates.
Thank a lineworker on social media
National Lineworker Appreciation Day is April 18, but throughout the week Duke Energy
will be sharing special stories in appreciation of the essential
workers who power our lives on the social platform X at
@DukeEnergy and Facebook at facebook.com/DukeEnergy. To
honor lineworkers and their families on social media on National
Lineworker Appreciation Day, please use the hashtag
#ThankALineworker.
Lineworker b-roll and photography:
Lineworkers brighten our communities
Multimedia Gallery | Duke Energy | News Center
(duke-energy.com)
Lineworker soundbites:
Florida
Carolinas
Indiana
Duke Energy
Duke Energy (NYSE:
DUK), a Fortune 150 company headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., is one of
America's largest energy holding companies. The company's electric
utilities serve 8.4 million customers in North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Indiana, Ohio
and Kentucky, and collectively own
54,800 megawatts of energy capacity. Its natural gas unit serves
1.7 million customers in North
Carolina, South Carolina,
Tennessee, Ohio and Kentucky.
Duke Energy is executing an ambitious clean energy transition,
keeping reliability, affordability and accessibility at the
forefront as the company works toward net-zero methane emissions
from its natural gas business by 2030 and net-zero carbon emissions
from electricity generation by 2050. The company is investing in
major electric grid upgrades and cleaner generation, including
expanded energy storage, renewables, natural gas and advanced
nuclear.
More information is available at duke-energy.com and the
Duke Energy News Center. Follow Duke Energy
on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook,
and visit illumination for stories about the people and
innovations powering our energy transition.
Contact: Logan Kureczka
24-Hour: 800.559.3853
Twitter:
@DE_LoganK
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SOURCE Duke Energy