Duke Energy plans to invest about $1.9 billion over seven years to improve the reliability of its transmission and distribution systems, the utility’s state president said Wednesday during a Terre Haute appearance.
Melody Birmingham-Byrd, who oversees Duke’s Indiana operations, spoke to community leaders during a lunch meeting at Rick’s Smokehouse on Wabash Avenue.
The plan, which requires regulatory approval, would allow the electric utility to replace aging equipment and modernize its grid.
Byrd said a lot of Duke’s current equipment doesn’t allow certain capabilities — “such as being able to isolate outages and keep those outages contained to a smaller group,” she told media following the meeting.
“And also provide us information that can pinpoint the location of those outages so that we can send our teams out to respond more rapidly and reducing the time that it takes for us to locate where those outages occur.”
Byrd said Duke plans to file an investment request with the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission at the end of the year. The utility may have to testify before the commission in early 2016.
Pending approval, Byrd said the implementation process would begin quickly.
“We have very detailed programs and project plans that have been developed so that we can begin those projects almost immediately after being approved,” she said.
Rick Burger, Duke’s district manager, told the Tribune-Star the benefits go beyond more efficient response to outages. The upgrades could also include “smart meters,” giving consumers more on-demand, detailed information about energy consumption.
Burger said the new technology would also allow Duke to electronically turn on and turn off meters without having to send a technician to start or stop a customer’s service.
Wednesday’s meeting was an opportunity for Byrd, who assumed her duties in June, to meet local stakeholders and find out how the company could help its community partners.
Those attending included Mayor Duke Bennett, Vigo County School Corp. superintendent Danny Tanoos, Terre Haute Chamber of Commerce president David Haynes, Terre Haute Human Relations Director Jeff Lorick and Ivy Tech Community College-Wabash Valley president Lea Anne Crooks.
Lorick asked Byrd what steps the utility was taking to increase diversity among its employees, particularly technicians who are a common presence in the city’s neighborhoods.
Byrd said the utility strives to think about gender, race and disability when reaching out to diverse communities. She said the utility has established outreach opportunities with Indiana Black Expo and collaborated with communities to host job fairs to help attract minorities.
She said Duke Energy has also partnered with the Urban League for “boot camps,” weekend sessions where prospective employees tour the utility’s substations and training facilities to learn the basics of the job. Candidates are also taught interviewing and behavioral skills.
“We’ve made, I think, some major strides,” Byrd said during the meeting, reflecting on inclusion efforts.
Byrd said she looked forward to another opportunity to visit the Wabash Valley. She planned to follow up with Burger and determine what other opportunities or consumer expectations are left to pursue.
This was the largest group of people she’s met with so far during her series of community visits, she said.
“There’s so much great work happening here in Terre Haute and Vigo County, and Brazil, and so many areas,” she told local media. “The collaboration, the partnership, the fact that people are working together for a common good to help economic development, to advance education, to improve workforce development — “so that we can improve the overall environment and quality of life for those in the community.”