ElectriCities Celebrates Public Power Lineworkers

RALEIGH, N.C. (April 8, 2026) — ElectriCities of North Carolina, Inc., joins its member communities and public power utilities nationwide in celebrating and honoring the dedication and service of public power lineworkers during the month of April.

Monday, April 13, is North Carolina Lineworker Appreciation Day, and Saturday, April 18, is National Lineworker Appreciation Day. Both days are designated to recognize and celebrate the professionals who maintain and strengthen the electric grid in local communities across the country.

“Working safely with high-voltage electricity takes specialized expertise and skill combined with unwavering commitment to industry standards and safety protocols,” said Craig Batchelor, Manager of Safety & Training at ElectriCities, the membership organization that provides power supply and related critical services to over 90 community owned electric systems in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virgina. Collectively, those locally owned and operated utilities are known as public power.

Lineworkers within ElectriCities’ membership regularly participate in safety training and career development programs like ElectriCities’ Apprenticeship Program to enhance their skills and ensure that they are ready for the evolving energy needs of their communities.

“Public power lineworkers demonstrate a tireless dedication to keeping the power flowing in their cities and towns, putting their distinctive knowledge to use, ensuring the members of their communities can enjoy the modern, essential comforts of electricity,” said Batchelor.

In North Carolina, public power lineworkers keep the electricity on for nearly 1.6 million people in more than 70 public power cities and towns throughout the state. Across the nation, public power lineworkers support about 2,000 municipalities, serving more than 55 million people, according to the American Public Power Association (APPA).

Lineworkers’ dedication doesn’t end at the edges of their communities. When the need arises, public power lineworkers travel across the state and the country within a mutual aid network to help fellow public power lineworkers restore power after disasters and other emergencies.

“In emergency situations with power outages, lineworkers are hometown heroes who light the way for other first responders by restoring electricity as quickly and safely as possible,” said Nick Whitley, Mutual Aid Coordinator and Supervisor of Safety and Training at ElectriCities.

“Lineworkers often bring the first sign of recovery to an area hit by a devastating storm or other disaster,” said Whitley.

Thanks in large part to the dedication of public power lineworkers, public power customers enjoy more reliable electricity than customers of other power providers. According to APPA, public power customers experience the shortest average outage time—getting power back on an average of 90 minutes sooner outside of major events compared to customers of other utility types.

North Carolina public power customers enjoy even better reliability. The state’s public power lineworkers keep the power on 99.99% of the time. On average, North Carolina’s public power customers experience less than one outage a year that lasts less than one hour. When the power does go out, the outage lasts less than half the time on average of other power providers.

Throughout the month of April, public power customers can write thank you messages to their local lineworkers by visiting www.electricities.com/thankalineworker.