We Energies Named Best in Midwest for System Reliability

Noria news wires, Noria Corporation

For the sixth time in the past eight years, We Energies has been named the winner of the ReliabilityOne award in the Midwest region for superior reliability of its electric system.

 

The award is based on the company's performance for the year 2008. The ReliabilityOne award is given annually by PA Consulting Group to the utilities that have excelled in delivering the most reliable electric service to their customers.

 

(We Energies is the cover story of the September/October 2009 issue of Machinery Lubrication magazine for its work in machinery lubrication and overall predictive maintenance excellence. See https://www.machinerylubrication.com/article_detail.asp?articleid=2349.

 

"Our company is committed to providing exceptional customer care," said Charley Cole, senior vice president for customer operations. "Receiving the ReliabilityOne award affirms our dedication and is a great recognition for our employees who work hard to serve our customers."

 

All utilities operating electric delivery networks in North America are eligible for the ReliabilityOne award. There are five regional awards – Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Midwest, Plains and West – and one community award. The selection is based primarily on reliability statistics that measure the frequency and duration of customer outages. After provisional recipients are identified, each company undergoes an on-site certification, which provides an independent review of the processes and systems used to collect, analyze and report a company's reliability results.

 

"This year's ReliabilityOne winners continue to set the industry bar for electric system reliability, implementation of exciting new technologies, and total commitment to the safe and effective restoration for customers," said Jeff Lewis, PA's ReliabilityOne program director. "We Energies is among the top utilities in the country when it comes to keeping the lights on."

 

We Energies has made significant investments in recent years to strengthen the reliability of its network, rebuild hundreds of miles of distribution lines and trim thousands of trees to keep branches and limbs from coming into contact with power lines.

 

The We Energies vegetation management program is one of many maintenance initiatives that contribute to providing dependable service and maintaining healthy trees in its service area. In recognition of these endeavors, the National Arbor Day Foundation awarded We Energies its 11th consecutive Tree Line USA designation earlier this year.

 

We Energies serves more than 1.1 million electric customers in Wisconsin and Michigan's Upper Peninsula and more than 1 million natural gas customers in Wisconsin. Our electricity prices are well below the national average. We Energies is the trade name of Wisconsin Electric Power Company and Wisconsin Gas LLC, the principal utility subsidiaries of Wisconsin Energy Corporation.

 

About PA Consulting Group

PA Consulting Group is a leading management, systems and technology consulting firm. Operating worldwide in more than 35 countries, PA draws on the knowledge and experience of 3,000 people, whose skills extend from the initial generation of ideas, insights and solutions all the way through to detailed implementation.

 

Tree Line USA

The Tree Line USA program is sponsored by The Arbor Day Foundation in cooperation with the National Association of State Foresters and recognizes public and private utilities across the nation that demonstrate practices that protect and enhance America's urban forests.