Latest news with #DuquesneLight
CBS News
22-05-2025
- Climate
- CBS News
Pa. lawmaker, power companies hold hearing following severe weather, prolonged outages
Three weeks after a powerful windstorm caused extensive and prolonged power outages, a state lawmaker held a public hearing to determine how everyone can be more prepared for future storms. Storms never last, and we can learn from them after they pass. The destructive windstorm that swept through the Pittsburgh region on April 29 knocked out power for hundreds of thousands of people, causing confusion and frustration. "A lot of the people that we heard from just wanted to know when the heck the power was going to come back on. It was hard, I know, to be without power for so long. My own family was right there with you without power for seven days," said Rep. Mandy Steele (D), 33rd District. Rep. Steele called for a policy hearing: "After the Storm: Preparing for the Future." At the Lauri Ann West Community Center in Fox Chapel Wednesday night, community members and lawmakers heard directly from Duquesne Light and West Penn Power representatives. They explained what challenges they faced while restoring power. "Downed lines, poles, and other damage to the grid can present very diverse and potentially dangerous situations. That's what our crews had to face in this storm," said Abe Amawi, manager of operations at West Penn Power. "Many of our customers said they experienced difficulties getting through to us, we had some difficulty with the amount of calls coming in at one time. It created some technology challenges for us, and I'm happy to report that we've already made some technology advancements to be able to support and not have that bottleneck in the future," said Kristy Stone, Vice President and Chief Customer Officer at Duquesne Light. The power company representatives said they are listening to concerns, learning lessons, and figuring out what can be done differently when another big storm hits. "Going forward, we plan to complete a comprehensive review of our current customer notifications. That's email, that's texts, that's calling. Then we'll modify them as needed to ensure those messages are very clear and consistent so you don't have the frustrations and you're able to plan as best you can for any outages," Stone said. "We also intend to focus on providing more localized times. Now, the severity and complexity of this storm created a difficulty to be able to have localized ETRs," Stone added. "We continue to refine our process to communicate estimated time of restoration to our customers and other stakeholders to get their critical information into the hands as quickly and as practically so they can make decisions that fit their unique circumstances," Amawi said.
Fast Company
21-05-2025
- Business
- Fast Company
How Pennsylvania is responding to increasing electricity bills
Americans' electricity bills tend to tick up each year in line with inflation. Subscribe to the Daily newsletter. Fast Company's trending stories delivered to you every day Privacy Policy | Fast Company Newsletters But Pennsylvania faces distinct challenges related to its electric grid – the maze of wires and generators – that drive both the growing demand for electricity and the limited supply. PJM and the electric grid Pennsylvania power plants produce a lot of electricity. In fact, the Keystone State is the the largest exporter of electricity in the U.S. and has been for many years. But the electricity Pennsylvania produces doesn't always stay in state. That's because Pennsylvania's electric grid is managed by a company called PJM. PJM coordinates the flow of electricity through all or parts of 13 states and the District of Columbia, and it ensures the wholesale electricity transmission system operates reliably and safely. Pennsylvania electric utilities, such as PECO or Duquesne Light, then distribute this wholesale electricity to retail customers, including homeowners and renters. PJM requires the utilities to ensure ahead of time that they can meet their customers' future electricity demands, including during heat waves and winter storms. This requirement is met using a market called a 'capacity auction,' in which electricity suppliers bid to provide physical infrastructure that will generate electricity in the future. The prices at the 2025-2026 PJM capacity auction were more than 800% higher than the previous year, in part due to the growing demand for electricity within PJM. This amounts to tens of billions of dollars in extra costs. Power plants in Pennsylvania can't simply stop exporting electricity and supply more in-state power because they dispatch their power into the regional grid operated by PJM, and the flow of electricity is dictated by the physical structure of this grid. Soaring demand from data centers U.S. electricity demand rose 3% in 2024 and is expected to rise even more rapidly in the coming years. advertisement Bottlenecks in supply The increase in electricity demand within PJM is happening at the same time that supply is shrinking. Many old generating plants in the PJM grid are retiring as they near the end of their useful lives and become less profitable for plant operators, particularly as natural gas and solar become more affordable. Some of these older power plants also emit a lot of pollution and are costly to retrofit to meet current pollution limits. Beyond the challenge of plant retirements, PJM has been slow to allow hundreds of new proposed power plants – most of them solar- and battery-based – to connect to transmission lines. This long 'interconnection queue' prevents new, needed generation from coming online. This is happening even though companies are eager and ready to build more generation and battery storage. Aging infrastructure and growing weather extremes One of the primary recent drivers of high consumer electric bills is that the utilities have been slow to upgrade their aging wires. Many have recently made major investments in new infrastructure and in some cases are burying or strengthening wires to protect them from increasingly extreme weather. Electricity customers are footing the bill for this work. Response from policymakers In response to rising electricity prices, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro filed a legal complaint with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission against PJM in December 2024. This complaint blamed PJM's capacity auction design for creating unnecessary costs for consumers. According to the settlement reached after the complaint, PJM's price caps will be 35% lower at the next major capacity auction. This reduction in wholesale prices could limit retail price increases. But this is at best a temporary fix. It doesn't address the increasing demand, aging power infrastructure battered by extreme weather, or transmission bottleneck. In order for Pennsylvania residents to see lower electric bills anytime soon, more changes are needed. For example, many experts previously observed that PJM needs to fix the queue and get online the many power plants that are ready to build and just waiting for a transmission interconnection. While PJM has reformed its queue process, the queue is still long. New power plants are not going up fast enough, in part due to additional challenges such as local opposition and supply chain and financing issues. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Person injured in crash on Route 65 in Leetsdale
A person was taken to the hospital after a crash on State Route 65 in Leetsdale, officials say. An Allegheny County 911 supervisor said the call for a crash near the Ohio River Boulevard and Rapp Street intersection came in at 6:15 a.m. One person was transported from the scene, officials say. Channel 11 crews saw a car in the middle of the road with heavy front-end damage, and a utility pole leaning over nearby. Part of Route 65 while emergency crews were on scene. Later, Duquesne Light could be seen working in the area. We have reached out to officials for more information. Stick with us as we try to learn more. Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Officials declare state of emergency after catastrophic storm leaves 400,000 homes without power: 'We are still assessing the full impact'
A powerful storm swept through Western Pennsylvania, leaving the region reeling. As residents face the aftermath, officials are calling it one of the most destructive weather events in recent memory — and a sobering reminder of the growing risks tied to extreme weather. On April 29, a fast-moving storm unleashed intense winds across the Pittsburgh area, toppling trees, tearing off roofs, and downing power lines. The chaos led to at least four deaths and knocked out power to more than 400,000 homes and businesses at its peak. Emergency services were overwhelmed, with 911 centers reporting more than 5,000 calls per hour. One man was electrocuted by a live wire that fell on his vehicle, while two others were killed by falling trees. A fourth fatality occurred in State College under similar circumstances to the first. By May 1, over 114,000 customers were still without power. Duquesne Light called the storm "unprecedented" and estimated full restoration could take up to a week. Disaster emergencies were declared in Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, and several nearby communities. "As you can imagine, we are still assessing the full impact of the storm that occurred last night. But it is clear that it is an unprecedented event in the history of Duquesne Light," John Hilderbrand II, vice president of operations, said. While storms aren't new to this region, the scale and intensity of this one are part of a larger pattern. As Earth continues to overheat, extreme weather events are becoming stronger and more frequent. Higher temperatures mean more energy in the atmosphere, which translates to faster winds, heavier rainfall, and more damage on the ground. Wind speeds during the storm reached 95 mph in some areas. Though it wasn't classified as a "derecho," the level of destruction was comparable. Infrastructure such as energy grids, roads, and homes is increasingly at risk, and so are the people who rely on them. Emergency crews and utility workers were working around the clock to restore services and assess damage. Gov. Josh Shapiro pledged continued state support. Local governments also stepped up — opening shelters, clearing debris, and helping residents stay safe. Long-term resilience will require more than just repairs. Communities are investing in stronger infrastructure, trimming tree canopies near power lines, and modernizing outdated grids. On an individual level, homeowners can install solar and battery systems through vetted platforms such as EnergySage, prepare emergency kits, and stay informed with local weather alerts. The road to recovery may take time, but smart planning and collective action can help prevent the next storm from being even worse. Do you have a backup power source in your home? Yes — a portable generator Yes — a full-on generator I use solar panels No — I don't Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
CBS News
10-05-2025
- Climate
- CBS News
Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission launches review after last month's severe storms
The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission will undertake a post-storm review following last month's deadly storms that severed electric service to more than 500,000 customers across the southwestern Pennsylvania region. Led by the Commission's Bureau of Technical Utility Services, the review will "examine how utilities responded to this significant event, assess the impact of the storm on infrastructure and operations, and identify opportunities to improve planning and resilience for future storms," according to a news release from the PUC. "This was not a routine weather event," said PUC Chairman Steve DeFrank. "The intensity and scale of the damage - impacting electric systems, roads, communications networks, and other infrastructure - demand a closer look. As we continue to recover, we also need to understand what happened, what worked, what didn't, and what can be done better moving forward." The review will explore storm-related issues involving Duquesne Light and FirstEnergy utilities. Officials will examine issues like outage causes, review the efficacy of utility emergency response plans, and provide recommendations that utilities, communities, residents, and businesses can take to better prepare for future extreme weather. "Our goal is to evaluate every storm to learn, adapt, and strengthen Pennsylvania's utility systems," said PUC Vice Chair Kimberly Barrow. "It is important to study how storm intensity, patterns, and impacts are changing so that we can better prepare and protect our communities." According to Commission records, Duquesne Light has not experienced storm-related outages of this magnitude since at least 1993. "The strength of our utility network lies not just in how we respond to today's challenges, but in how we prepare for tomorrow's," Chairman DeFrank added. "We regularly examine the impact of major storms in Pennsylvania because every emergency situation is a learning opportunity - and we are committed to turning those lessons into action."
