Pennsylvania’s Power Grid Faces Increased Outages as Severe Weather Hits

Penn Township, Pennsylvania — Pennsylvania’s power grid is facing significant challenges, according to the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission’s annual reliability report. In 2024, the state experienced 71 major power outages, impacting about 2.9 million customers, a record high since 2011.

Every major outage was attributed to severe weather events, yet the commission emphasized that this does not mitigate the overall decline in service reliability. The report indicated that many utilities did not meet the commission’s performance benchmarks.

Duquesne Light, which serves over 600,000 customers in Allegheny and Beaver counties, received praise for its relatively low number of outages. However, customers waited an average of 156 minutes for power restoration, an increase from the 110 minutes reported in 2023.

West Penn Power, serving approximately 700,000 customers across multiple counties, was criticized for both its outage frequency and restoration times. The utility improved its response time from 266 minutes in 2023 to 200 minutes last year, but the commission suggested further improvements in vegetation management to prevent outages.

Utilities were not penalized for ‘major events’—service interruptions beyond their control affecting at least 10% of customers. A notable example was the severe storms in April 2024 that left over 400,000 residents in Southwestern Pennsylvania without power.

The commission highlighted tree management, especially of those outside utility right-of-ways, as a chronic issue leading to outages. It urged utility companies to collaborate with property owners to address potentially problematic trees.

The Public Utility Commission has been issuing these annual reliability reports since 1994 to oversee electric, gas, water, and other utilities within Pennsylvania.