PWC Celebrates the Value of Being a Public Power Provider

Fayetteville PWC joins more than 70 public power communities in North Carolina and more than 2,000 across the country in celebrating Public Power Week, Oct. 1-7, 2023.  Public Power Week is an annual opportunity to shine a light on the value cities and towns that own and operate their electric system provide their customers and their communities.  Locally owned and operated electric utilities provide far-reaching value, like affordable and sustainable power, unmatched reliability, excellent local service, and essential local jobs.  

Public power cities and towns in North Carolina provide safe, affordable, and sustainable electricity with a reliability rating of 99.98%—more reliable than other power providers. In fact, public power customers in North Carolina experience 40% fewer outages than other power providers’ customers. And when the power does go out, public power lineworkers restore power faster than other providers.

PWC earned a Certificate of Excellence in Reliability in 2022 from the American Public Power Association (APPA).  It was the 5th time PWC earned that distinction since 2016. Nationwide, the average public power customer has their lights out for less than half the amount of time that customers of other types of utilities do.  In 2022, the average outage time (without major incidents such as hurricanes) for PWC customers was 45.69 minutes, well below the top quartile average of 54.41 minutes.  PWC has an overall reliability rate of 99.9876. 

PWC is also a six-time recipient of the APPA’s Reliable Public Power Provider (RP3) Award-Diamond Level for providing outstanding reliability, safety, workforce development, and system improvement.

PWC received a 100% score in the award criteria.  Although more than 275 public power utilities nationwide hold the RP3 designation, only PWC earned the award’s highest designation- Diamond Level- for the sixth time in the award’s history and is one of only two utilities that have earned the Diamond Level designation six or more times.

PWC has been powering our community since 1905.  Click here to learn more about PWC Public Power at Work in our Community.