Reliability Archives - People Powering Life

The outage you never experienced

May 5, 2026 | Reliability

A strong storm rolls through your neighborhood. The wind picks up, rain pours down and a tree branch comes crashing into a power line. In the past, that might have meant hours without electricity. But today, many customers might not notice anything at all because of PPL Electric’s Smart Grid.

Over the past decade, we’ve invested in building a smarter, stronger electric grid, with Smart Grid technology playing a major role. It’s designed to help prevent outages before customers experience them and restore power faster when problems do happen.

The Smart Grid is made up of intelligent devices, sensors and software installed throughout our system. These tools constantly monitor the flow of electricity and quickly detect issues caused by storms, fallen trees or failing equipment. Should a problem occur, the system can isolate it and reroute power around the trouble spot in real time — often restoring service to many customers in just minutes.

Since 2015, this technology has prevented more than 3 million outages across our service territory. That means millions of moments where lights stayed on, homes stayed comfortable and everyday routines weren’t interrupted. Even when outages can’t be avoided entirely, the Smart Grid helps reduce how long they last as the data we receive from devices also helps us pinpoint issues and dispatch crews more efficiently to handle issues as safely and quickly as possible.

And our Smart Grid is getting smarter every day. PPL Electric was the first utility to implement a Smart Grid in this way, and we’re continually upgrading it with better automation, faster communication and advanced tools that help us respond more efficiently. Between 2026 and 2029, we’re investing more than $8 billion in infrastructure improvements, including expanding grid automation with additional Smart Grid devices to further strengthen reliability.

Smart Grid technology is one part of a larger reliability effort that also includes rebuilding aging power lines, installing more storm‑resistant poles and wires, trimming trees year‑round and maintaining equipment before it fails. Together, these proactive investments help deliver reliable electric service you can depend on.

Keeping your lights on means planning ahead, investing wisely and using technology to work smarter. That’s how we create value for customers today — and build a grid that’s ready for tomorrow.

Learn more about how we’re working every day to keep your power on at pplelectric.com/reliability.

We’ve reached a settlement in our first distribution rate request since 2016

Apr 8, 2026 | Value

Earlier this month, we submitted a joint petition for non-unanimous settlement to the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC) requesting approval for an increase in base distribution rates. The proposed settlement reflects months of public review and compromise, ensuring customers receive safe, reliable electric service while maintaining strong protections for affordability.

What does this mean for you?

We know any increase to your electric bill matters. That’s why we’re committed to operating efficiently and supporting you with a variety of resources. In fact, this is our first request to change distribution rates since 2016 — while managing our expenses nearly 25% below the rate of inflation. The result: we held the line on customer costs in a way that very few utilities in this country can point to.

If approved, this settlement includes investments in a stronger system, enhanced assistance for vulnerable customers, expanded payment flexibility and a two-year pause on additional base rate increases.

See how these smart investments are set to boost your service and make your power more reliable:

Building a stronger electric system: We’re planning targeted investments — stronger poles, upgraded wires, smart grid technology — designed to reduce outages and restore power faster in the future as severe weather intensifies. These improvements help avoid higher costs over time by reducing damage and disruptions.

Expanding assistance for customers who need it most: We’re expanding support for vulnerable customers by increasing hardship fund bill credits, improving access to assistance programs, eliminating reconnection fees, streamlining the return of security deposits and boosting the annual low-income weatherization budget.

Supporting responsible large load growth: Large‑load customers, such as data centers, place unique demands on the system. A new large-load rate class ensures our large users make long-term financial and usage commitments to protect other customers from additional infrastructure costs, while also providing $11 million in annual support for low‑income residential customers.

Adding small business protections: We plan to mitigate cost impacts of net-metered distributed generation and introduces new, flexible payment options for small businesses.

Together, these measures are intended to balance necessary system improvements with protections that help customers manage costs.

Our commitment to accountability

We know you work hard for your money and affordability and reliability remain core priorities for us. The PUC closely reviews and monitors how utilities invest customer dollars, and this settlement includes additional reporting and establishes service expectations to ensure you see real improvements and benefits.

We are committed to operating efficiently, managing costs responsibly and being transparent about the outcomes customers can expect from these investments.

For more information and to review the entire settlement, visit pplelectric.com/RateInfo.

Transforming reliability in a BIG way

Mar 26, 2026 | Reliability

On Friday, March 20, residents and commuters in downtown Dickson City witnessed an impressive sight: a 220-ton transformer making its way through Main Street on its journey to our Lackawanna substation.

This delivery was the first of seven scheduled transformer transports taking place between March and June as part of our ongoing reliability upgrades throughout our 29-county service territory. These major equipment upgrades are essential to strengthening the grid and improving long-term reliability.

In total, these deliveries will directly help improve reliability for 155,000 customers in our territory. The delivery through Dickson City alone will benefit over 36,000 customers.

Big accommodations for big deliveries

The sheer size of the equipment – roughly 25 feet long and 12 feet high – required a highly coordinated transport effort. Crews moved slowly through the downtown area on Friday afternoon, halting intersections and lifting utility lines where necessary to allow the oversized load to move safely to its destination.

While the move did cause some brief traffic delays, the operation went smoothly thanks to cooperation between PPL Electric, contractors, local officials and the community.

What does a transformer do?

Transformers are an important part of a substation. As electricity travels, it will head to substations, where transformers will increase or decrease voltage – think “transforming” – so that it can safely travel to its next destination.

The transformer heading to our Lackawanna substation will replace an older transformer to improve efficiency and reduce maintenance.

Bigger. Newer. Better.

With six additional deliveries scheduled in the coming months, customers will continue to see our investments in action. And if you see one of these transformers on the move (they’re hard to miss!), know that they’re helping move safer, more reliable power into your homes and businesses.

Smart planting today helps prevent outages tomorrow

Mar 18, 2026 | Reliability

As the weather warms up and many of us start dreaming about new flowers, trees and shrubs, it’s a great time to think about how your landscaping choices can support both a beautiful yard and reliable electric service. Trees and shrubs do so much good for our environment — they clean the air, offer shade, support wildlife and add natural beauty to our homes. But when planted too close to power lines, they can also cause avoidable outages, especially during storms.

That’s why choosing the right tree or plant for the right place is so important. The trees and shrubs you plant today will continue to grow for decades and giving them the proper space now helps ensure they won’t interfere with power lines or create safety concerns in the future. By selecting the right species and planting them in the right spots, you can help prevent outages, protect your home and keep your landscaping healthy as it matures.

To make planning easier, we offer a list of trees and shrubs that can be safely planted near power lines. It includes options of all sizes — from beautiful flowering trees like Dogwoods and Eastern Redbuds, to larger shrubs such as Black Elderberry and American Witch-Hazel, to smaller favorites like Mountain Laurel, Black Huckleberry and even common berry bushes. You can explore the full list and get more tips at pplelectric.com/KnowBeforeYouGrow.

When it comes to tall-growing trees, be sure to give them plenty of room to reach their mature height. Anything that will grow taller than 25 feet should be planted at least 50 feet away from overhead power lines to prevent issues down the road. It’s also helpful to keep ground-mounted transformers clear of any new vegetation. Doing so ensures our crews can work safely and quickly whenever maintenance or repairs are needed.

Spring planting often means digging too, so don’t forget one of the most important steps: calling 811 at least three business days before you start. This free service marks underground utilities, including buried power lines, so you or your landscapers can work safely and avoid damaging critical infrastructure.

If you’re maintaining existing trees on your property, remember that pruning near power lines should always be left to trained professionals. Working close to electric lines is extremely dangerous and could result in serious injury or death. For work near the service wire that runs from our pole to your home, we can temporarily de-energize the line and lower it so you or your contractor can safely handle the job. Just give us a call at 1-800-342-5775 at least five business days before the work begins.

And if you see our crews trimming trees or working on equipment in your neighborhood, please keep a safe distance. A little space helps keep both you and our employees safe while they complete important reliability work.

If you’re looking for extra guidance or inspiration as you plan your spring projects, the Arbor Day Foundation offers helpful tools and resources for choosing the right tree or shrub and selecting the best location for planting. It’s a great place to learn more, visit the Arbor Day Foundation’s website.

A little planning goes a long way — for your safety, your yard and the reliability of the electric service we provide to you and your neighbors. Together, we can ensure that the planting we do today grows and blooms well into the future.

Reliability starts before the storm

Feb 11, 2026 | Reliability

Winter storms can bring heavy snow, ice and strong winds. Conditions that put stress on power lines and equipment. That’s why we don’t wait for trouble to strike. Our teams work throughout the year to inspect, maintain and upgrade the grid. From replacing aging equipment to installing smart technology that helps us detect and respond to outages faster, these steps make a big difference when storms hit.

In 2025, we completed more than 75 reliability projects across our service area, strengthening the grid and reducing the risk of outages during severe weather. Through this work, upgrades to poles, wires and equipment are benefiting reliability directly. New poles and wires are designed to withstand 100 mile-per-hour winds, newly installed devices and reconfigured segments of line improve resiliency and, in some cases, relocated poles and wires are moved out of inaccessible areas making any restoration safer and quicker for our crews and customers.

And when winter weather hits, what’s the biggest cause of outages? Trees and branches. More specifically when they come into contact with power lines. To help prevent tree-related outages, we have a robust vegetation management program that helps to keep lines clear and safe.

Our crews trim trees and remove hazardous branches along thousands of miles of power lines every year. This proactive work helps prevent outages before they happen and keeps your power flowing — even when winter weather is at its worst. In fact, in 2026, we’re planning to clear vegetation along more than 4,750 miles of lines, to help reduce outages and improve reliability for thousands of customers in the process.

We’ve also continued to invest in Smart Grid technology that helps us respond faster when outages occur. The system can reroute power in real time, isolate problems and restore service to many customers in minutes without having to wait for a crew. It’s just one way we’re using innovation to keep you connected. This past August, our Smart Grid surpassed 3 million outages avoided, which equates to more than 650 million minutes of powering moments that matter for customers.

Thanks to these combined efforts, customers experienced nearly 25% fewer outages in 2025 compared to 2024. That’s progress. And it reflects how we’re continuously working as your partner in power, to keep your service strong and dependable every day, no matter what the weather throws at us.

Behind the scenes, our storm response teams monitor weather patterns, stage equipment and prepare crews to respond quickly when severe weather is on the way. We’re ready 24/7 because we know how much you depend on reliable electricity. For safety, warmth and peace of mind.

To learn more about what we’re doing every day to keep your service reliable, visit pplelectric.com/reliability.

What You Can Do

While we’re working hard to keep the lights on, it never hurts to make sure you’re safe and prepared too. Here are some simple, proactive things you can do to ensure that you and your family are ready for whatever winter may throw our way:

Create and practice an emergency plan with your family.
Keep an emergency kit with flashlights, batteries and essential supplies on hand.
Be sure to charge your devices before a storm hits.
Know how to report an outage using our new mobile app or on our website.

For more tips and resources, check out our emergency preparedness guide.

Learn How You Can Prepare

« Older Entries