On August 21, the Public Utility Commission released its latest Electric Service Reliability Report which catalogued 71 “reportable outage events” – the highest number recorded in more than 30 years – disrupting electric service for residents and businesses across the state.

The PUC said so far in 2025, there have been 38 reportable outage events.

The 71 outage events in 2024 marked a sharp increase from 49 events in 2023 and were accompanied by a significant rise in the total number of customers affected.

More than 2.8 million Pennsylvanians lost service at some point during the year, compared to 1.67 million in 2023.

These figures underscore the continued challenges posed by severe storms, vegetation-related damage, and the impacts of an aging power grid.

Ongoing Reliability Concerns

The PUC report highlights that most of Pennsylvania’s 11 electric distribution companies (EDCs) struggled to meet established reliability benchmarks in 2024.

Of note, only three EDCs achieved the Commission’s standard performance metrics across all categories for both the year-end and rolling three-year averages.

While the deployment of advanced grid technologies continues to help utilities reduce the number of customers impacted during outage events, those same technologies can sometimes lengthen the duration of repairs in the hardest-hit areas due to the complexity of the damage.

This trend – fewer customers experiencing outages during some events but longer outages for those affected – reinforces the need for sustained investments in utility infrastructure and vegetation management.

Vegetation and Storm Activity Remain Primary Threats

As in past years, severe weather and vegetation remain the leading causes of outages in Pennsylvania.

In particular, storms that topple off-right-of-way (OROW) trees and bring down overhanging limbs from weakened canopy trees accounted for the majority of 2024’s disruptions. Storm activity acts upon the vulnerability of weakened trees in the overhanging canopy, and OROW trees.

The PUC’s Bureau of Technical Utility Services (TUS) is urging all EDCs to reexamine and strengthen their vegetation management and capital improvement programs to address these ongoing threats.

The report also notes that utilities should explore new technologies and practices – such as advanced monitoring tools, improved conductor protection, and targeted undergrounding – to reduce risks while balancing the cost impacts on ratepayers.

Strengthening the Grid

Nine of the Commonwealth’s 11 EDCs have approved Long-Term Infrastructure Improvement Plans (LTIIPs), which are critical for addressing aging equipment and enhancing system resilience.

Utilities with significant investments in these programs have historically been among the best performers in meeting reliability benchmarks, although even these utilities faced challenges during 2024.

The PUC continues to emphasize the importance of balancing reliability improvements with affordability for consumers, noting that utilities must carefully weigh infrastructure and vegetation management investments alongside the impact of costs on customers.

Report Access

The full 2024 Electric Service Reliability Report, including detailed performance data for each utility, is available on the PUC’s website, as are copies of past Electric Reliability Reports since 2004.

Click Here for the PUC announcement.

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NewsClips:

-- In Case You Missed It -- A.I./Data Center Articles & NewClips From Last Week - August 24  [PaEN]

[Posted: August 22, 2025]

8/25/2025