Aug 11, 2026 | Reliability
When the lights come on with the flip of a switch, most people don’t think about the miles of equipment working behind the scenes to deliver electricity safely and reliably – 47,000 miles to be exact. We’re making significant investments across our service territory to strengthen that system and help reduce outages, especially during severe weather.
Why we’re making these improvements
Pennsylvania experiences its share of challenging weather. Strong winds, lightning, ice, heavy rain and falling trees can damage electric equipment and cause power outages. That’s why we’re strengthening our electric grid to make it more resilient and easier to restore when storms occur.
Our goal is simple: provide more reliable electric service for the customers and communities we serve by reducing outages, limit the number of customers affected and restore power faster when an outage does occur.
What we’re doing
Across central and eastern Pennsylvania, we’re making targeted improvements to the electric system that delivers power to homes and businesses. Depending on the needs of each community, this work may include:
- Installing smarter technology: We’re expanding smart grid technology to quickly detect problems, isolate outages and reroute electricity when possible. In some cases, power can be restored in under 5 minutes.
- Upgrading poles, wires and equipment: Older equipment is being replaced with stronger, more modern materials designed to better withstand high winds, ice and other severe weather conditions.
- Creating more flexibility in the grid: We’re adding connections between power lines so electricity can be rerouted during outages. This can reduce the number of customers affected when problems occur.
- Placing some lines underground: In locations where it makes sense, we’re moving certain overhead power lines underground. This can help reduce storm-related damage and improve reliability in those areas.
- Improving access to electric equipment: We’re relocating some equipment to safer, easier-to-reach areas. This can help crews restore power more safely and efficiently when outages occur.
What you may see
As this work moves forward, customers may notice utility crews and specialized equipment working along roads or within utility rights-of-way. Temporary traffic controls, signs or work zones may also be present. In some areas, customers may see upgrades to poles, wires or underground equipment.
We’ll continue working to minimize impacts on local communities and the environment while completing this important work as safely and efficiently as possible.
How these investments benefit you
These projects are designed to deliver long-term value by:
- Improving everyday reliability
- Helping prevent outages during severe weather
- Reducing the number of customers affected when outages occur
- Restoring power more quickly after storms
- Supporting future growth and development across our region
Reliable electricity powers nearly every aspect of our daily lives. That’s why we’re continuing to invest in a stronger, smarter and more resilient electric grid.
These improvements are part of our ongoing commitment to deliver safe, reliable service today while preparing for the needs of tomorrow. Learn more about our reliability work.
Aug 26, 2025 | Reliability
Fewer Outages, Brighter Days
When you flip your light switch, you expect one thing: the lights to come on — and stay on. That simple moment is at the heart of everything we do. In 2025, thanks to our ongoing work, we’re delivering on that promise with real improvements.
Results You Can See — and Feel
So far this year, our customers have experienced 510,000 fewer interruptions compared to the same period in 2024. That’s not just a number, it’s hundreds of thousands of evenings uninterrupted, workdays powered through and family moments kept bright. These improvements aren’t by chance. They’re the direct result of our investments in reliability and resilience.
One major game-changer has been our comprehensive tree trimming program. By regularly trimming and removing trees along our power lines, we’ve slashed tree-related outages by 11%. Fewer branches mean fewer outages — simple as that.
Building a Stronger, Smarter Grid
We’re investing nearly $7 billion between 2025 and 2028 in upgrades to our distribution and transmission systems. Our goal? A grid that’s tougher, smarter and ready to handle whatever Mother Nature throws our way.
Our teams are hard at work replacing and upgrading lines and equipment. Dozens of comprehensive storm hardening projects are happening across our 29-county service territory to further reduce outage frequency and duration.
Our ongoing work includes:
- Trimming and removing trees along our power lines to prevent outages before they happen.
- Replacing aging equipment, adding stronger poles, pole-top equipment and wires, and installing animal, avian and lighting guards.
- Adding smart grid devices and sensors across our system to optimize the ability to reroute power remotely and automatically, decreasing the number of customers affected by an outage and the outage duration. Since 2015, our smart grid has avoided more than 3 million outages.
- Continuing proactive inspections and maintenance to assess the performance and health of the system and proactively replacing aging or damaged equipment before an outage occurs.
Our Promise: Reliability You Can Count On
Every day, our mission is to make sure you can go about your life without interruption. We’re not done yet; the work continues, and each improvement we make we do it for you.
Stay tuned for more updates on how our investments are keeping your lights on, your life powered and your moments uninterrupted. We’re proud to be your partners in power.
Jun 1, 2025 | Safety and Security, Storms and Outages
The arrival of the summer months brings about the inevitable threat of severe rain, wind and lightning, and those summer storms can cause power outages.
The work we do year-round – from upgrading and strengthening the equipment on our electric delivery system to trimming trees near our power lines to reduce the likelihood of tree and limb-caused outages – is designed to help ensure we provide you with the safest, most reliable power possible.
And the work we’re doing is making a difference.
In 2025, we’ve seen a 14% decrease in tree-related power outages and a 22% decrease in the total number of minutes customers are without power when compared to the same time last year.
Despite those efforts, severe storms can still cause power outages, so we want our customers to always be prepared. There are some simple, but important steps to take to stay safe and prepared. Here’s what you can do:
Before storms
- Have an emergency kit with food, water, medication and any pet supplies you may need in any outage or emergency at any time of the year. Store it in an airtight container.
- Make sure to have batteries and battery-operated flashlights readily available.
- If you have medical equipment that requires power, have a backup location to go to if you lose power.
- Sign up for PPL Alerts at pplelectric.com/alerts to make sure you receive power restoration updates when outages occur.
- Charge your phones and other devices when severe storms are imminent.
During storms
- If you lose power, please report your outage online at pplelectric.com/outage or text “Outage” to TXTPPL (898775).
- Remember that candles can start fires. If you lose power, use flashlights instead.
- If you encounter a downed wire at any time, assume it’s energized and stay away.
- If you lose power and are using a portable generator, never operate the generator in an enclosed area, like a garage, where deadly carbon monoxide fumes could accumulate.
- If you lose power, it’s a good idea to disconnect appliances and electronics during the outage to eliminate the risk of damage.
- Avoid opening your refrigerator and freezer as much as possible.
- Do not use ovens or ranges to heat your home.
- Unplug sensitive home electronics. Turn off ovens and space heaters that may have been on when the outage occurred.
- During extended outages, check with your local government about temporary shelters.
For more information on staying safe during storms and general electrical safety, visit pplelectric.com/OutageSafety.
