Drew Dixon
Some low-profile workers with very high-profile duties were acknowledged by Duke Energy last week.
Friday was National Lineworker Appreciation Day, and Duke Energy, which has more than 1 million customers in Florida, took measures to ensure some of their hardest-working employees got the acknowledgement they deserve. Duke officials went out of their way to show their appreciation to their “Guardians of the grid.”
The company highlighted that their lineworkers were responsible for restoring power to more than 3.1 million of their customers after Hurricane Helene initially hit the Big Bend area along the Gulf Coast in Florida on Sept. 26 and then moved into Georgia, the Carolinas, Tennessee, and beyond.
“Hurricane Helene was one of the most impactful storms in Duke Energy’s history, requiring an unprecedented response. Duke Energy lineworkers – many of whom were personally impacted by the storm – restored more than 3.1 million customer outages in the Carolinas, Florida and Midwest after Helene hit,” a Duke news release said.
Lineworkers make up a substantial portion of Duke Energy’s workforce. The company, based in North Carolina with extensive operations in Florida, employs 10,000 lineworkers. That also includes substation and relay technicians. Substation workers manage energy distribution at the substation facilities, while relay technicians are responsible for testing the equipment for power distribution.
Duke Energy Foundation, a nonprofit arm of the company, has contributed more than $3.3 million in grants to support lineworker programs for participants. The position of lineworker is one of the fastest-growing occupations, according to the company. There are currently 22 community college lineworker training programs in Duke’s service area.
“Our customers live and work in some of the most vibrant, fastest-growing areas of the country. Duke Energy can efficiently meet current and future energy needs in large part due to our trusted line teams’ commitment to safety and excellence, and we value their work immensely,” said Scott Batson, Senior Vice President and Chief Power Grid Officer for Duke Energy.
