Stories about people and issues that power our lives
It takes a lot of dedication and manpower from many types of employees to keep PPL’s electric grid working properly. Today, on National Lineworker Appreciation Day, PPL thanks the ones in hardhats – the employees on the ground and up in the poles who provide reliable service.
Crews from PPL’s operating utilities are often called to help restore power in other regions, and under their mutual assistance agreements, can call in help from other utilities when it is needed.
The common thread to PPL Electric’s continued success has been an increasingly constructive workplace culture. In recent years, the company has built a culture that nurtures an atmosphere of employee engagement and accountability, with employees providing and accepting feedback as they focus on achieving exceptional results
The Keystone Solar Future Project is an example of the innovative thinking PPL Electric is using as new on-site generation technologies transform the utility environment. The project will set up a “distributed system platform” that leverages the company’s existing smart grid technology to plan for, monitor and control distributed energy resources such as solar panels.
At PPL Electric, the premise is simple. First-quartile performance in safety, reliability, customer satisfaction and cost management is necessary for long-term sustainable success. “Achieving and maintaining first-quartile performance matters for a number of reasons,” said PPL Electric Utilities President Greg Dudkin. “We will control our own destiny and become a safer, more efficient and more responsive organization that is focused on our customers. Investors will view our company as a place where people deliver on their promises, and we’ll attract and retain talent to enable continued long-term success.”
Residents in Puerto Rico are greeting workers from PPL Corporation’s utility companies with cheers and even hugs for their restoration efforts.
Even though Abby Delserone grew up in a family of utility workers — her cousin, uncle and grandfather all worked in the power industry — an engineering career wasn’t always on her radar. “I was originally applying to colleges as a psychology major,” she said. “I really didn’t have much exposure to STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) careers. I wish I would’ve had a broader sense of career opportunities in high school.”
PPL Electric has invested more than $132 million in automation technology. It’s an investment that has truly paid off. Thanks to its extensive use of smart grid technology, the utility’s distribution system has become one of the most reliable in the country.