APPA Recognizes 16 ElectriCities Members for Exceptional Reliability in 2022

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Congratulations to the 16 ElectriCities of North Carolina member utilities that received national recognition for achieving exceptional electric reliability in 2022:

  • City of Concord, N.C.
  • City of Laurinburg, N.C.
  • City of Lumberton, N.C.
  • City of Monroe, N.C.
  • City of Newberry, S.C.
  • City of Rocky Mount, N.C.
  • Fayetteville Public Works Commission (N.C.)
  • Martinsville Electric Department (Va.)
  • New River Light & Power (N.C.)
  • Seneca Light & Water (S.C.)
  • Town of Apex, N.C.
  • Town of Cornelius, N.C.
  • Town of Front Royal, Va.
  • Town of Tarboro, N.C.
  • Town of Wake Forest, N.C.
  • Wilson Energy

Each earned a Certificate of Excellence in Reliability from the American Public Power Association (APPA).

Honorees have been tracking their power outage and restoration data through APPA’s eReliability Tracker. Using the web-based subscription service, utilities can collect, categorize, and summarize outage and restoration data and run reports throughout the year.

Once a year, APPA’s Reliability Team compares this data to national statistics that the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) tracks for all types of electric utilities. APPA awards Certificates of Excellence in Reliability to those utilities that have a System Average Interruption Duration Index (SAIDI) in the top 25% of utilities nationally.

“It’s encouraging to see year after year that public power’s track record for providing highly reliable service is backed up by data,” APPA Director of Research and Development Paul Zummo said in a news release from APPA. “These utilities are the best of the best when it comes to keeping the lights on. And these communities should be proud of their local power providers and appreciate the hard work that goes into earning this recognition.”

“Whatever challenges and natural disasters our member communities face, they continue to shine each year, providing their customers with safe, reliable electric service,” said P.J. Rehm, Vice President of Grid Innovation & Safety at ElectriCities. “We congratulate these utilities and commend them for doing what it takes to keep their communities powered.”

According to data reported to the EIA, the average public power customer nationwide is without power for less than half the amount of time customers of other types of utilities are.

North Carolina’s public power customers fare even better. They experience 40% fewer outages than other power providers’ customers in the state. And when the power does go out, the outage lasts, on average, only about one-third the time of those other providers.

eReliability Tracker service is an ElectriCities member benefit. Members interested in tracking their utility’s reliability may contact PJ Rehm.

“I encourage every member community to track their system’s outages and reliability,” said PJ. “The data it provides enables them to benchmark their utility’s reliability, identify any areas to improve, and highlight exceptional reliability as just one of the many benefits their public power utility provides to their community.”

See the national list of 2022 Certificate of Excellence in Reliability recipients at www.PublicPower.org. For a comprehensive list of awards ElectriCities member utilities have won, visit the Awards and Accolades page on the ElectriCities website.