NEWS RELEASE
Date Feb. 22, 2017
For Release Upon Receipt
Contact Ashlee Yingling
ayingling@duqlight.com
412.430.3404
Duquesne Light Company Announces New Transmission Infrastructure Improvement Project
PITTSBURGH – Duquesne Light Company is improving the way energy is delivered using new design concepts through the Brunot Island-Crescent Transmission Reliability Project. Plans for the updated transmission line that stretches 15 miles from Crescent Township to Brunot Island on the Ohio River, will ensure that reliable and secure electricity continues to be delivered to customers in Allegheny and Beaver County.
As communities continue to develop and thrive, the demand for electricity is growing. Duquesne Light customers in Moon Township, Robinson Township, Kennedy Township, Crescent Township, McKees Rocks Borough, and the City of Pittsburgh are served by a network of 138-kilovolt transmission lines that were originally installed when the region looked very different than it does today. This network of lines needs to be upgraded to better serve our customers who live or work in this area.
“As the future of energy changes, Duquesne Light is putting plans in place to create the grid of the future,” said Rich Riazzi, President and CEO of Duquesne Light Company. “Over the next few years, we’re investing significant resources to ensure that our region’s infrastructure – the wires, transformers, substations, poles and other equipment that make up the transmission and distribution system – meets our customers’ current and future electrical demands.”
Although the final design of the transmission line is not complete, the line will include 110 self-supporting steel monopoles on concrete foundation, standing less than 200 feet tall. Over the next few months, Duquesne Light employees and its associates will be conducting field studies and soil testing. Construction for the line is scheduled to start in 2019 and is expected to be completed by 2021. This work will increase the overall resiliency of the grid and will help the Company to continue to better serve customers, benefiting everyone in this region.
This project is a part of Duquesne Light’s Larger than Light commitment to invest in more than $2.9 billion in infrastructure and technology upgrades between 2011 and 2021. The Company’s dedication to improving the way energy is delivered is just one of the many ways it’s working to become a next generation energy company.
The Company will be hosting multiple open house meetings to gather input and answer questions. To learn more about the Brunot Island-Crescent Transmission Reliability Project and to view the open house schedule, please visit www.duquesnelight.com/BI-Crescent.
About Duquesne Light Company
Duquesne Light Company is committed to more than keeping the lights on; it powers the moments in its customers’ lives. As a next generation energy company, Duquesne Light Company’s nearly 1,500 employees are dedicated to delivering reliable and safe energy to more than a half a million customers in southwestern Pennsylvania.