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March 18 spotlights natural gas employees’ role in serving nearly 187 million Americans with safe, reliable natural gas
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Natural gas technicians play vital role in modernizing the natural gas delivery system for growing communities and to meet the company’s net-zero methane emissions goals
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B-roll: Natural gas employees
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Duke Energy and Piedmont Natural Gas celebrate the eighth annual Natural Gas Utility Workers’ Day on March 18, 2023. The annual celebration spotlights natural gas workers’ role in providing nearly 187 million Americans with safe, reliable and affordable natural gas service every day.
More than 2,500 Duke Energy/Piedmont and contract workers are responsible for the construction, operation and maintenance of more than 35,000 miles of natural gas infrastructure in Kentucky, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina and Tennessee.
Technicians are often first responders and on the front lines when natural gas emergencies occur. Their work expanding and modernizing the natural gas delivery system will help meet the service needs of our customers and growing communities, while also providing the infrastructure needed to replace higher-carbon fuels.
“Our workers are committed to our natural gas customers and to doing their jobs safely. The pride they take in their work is truly remarkable,” said Brian Weisker, senior vice president and chief operations officer of Duke Energy’s natural gas business unit.
“Duke Energy and Piedmont’s employees continually go above and beyond to serve others and help keep communities safe,” Weisker said. “From working long hours in sometimes less-than-ideal conditions to ensure customers have heat on a cold night to being active members of the communities where they live and work, I hold our natural gas workers up as models of our industry.”
Natural Gas Utility Workers’ Day, established by the American Public Gas Association in 2015, is intended to build public awareness about the hard work done by the employees of natural gas utilities and educate residents on the environmental, safety and cost benefits of using clean, reliable and affordable natural gas. It is celebrated March 18 to commemorate the date of a 1937 incident in New London, Texas, that led to the widespread odorization of natural gas and an increased emphasis on safety.
More information on natural gas safety can be found at duke-energy.com/NaturalGasSafety and piedmontng.com/safety.
Duke Energy Ohio/Kentucky
Duke Energy Ohio/Kentucky, a subsidiary of Duke Energy, provides electric service to 900,000 residential, commercial and industrial customers in a 3,000-square-mile service area, and natural gas service to 550,000 customers in a 2,650-square-mile service area, in Ohio and Kentucky.
Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK), a Fortune 150 company headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., is one of America’s largest energy holding companies. Its electric utilities serve 8.2 million customers in North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky, and collectively own 50,000 megawatts of energy capacity. Its natural gas unit serves 1.6 million customers in North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Ohio and Kentucky. The company employs 27,600 people.
Duke Energy is executing an aggressive clean energy transition to achieve its goals of net-zero methane emissions from its natural gas business by 2030 and net-zero carbon emissions from electricity generation by 2050. The company has interim carbon emission targets of at least 50% reduction from electric generation by 2030, 50% for Scope 2 and certain Scope 3 upstream and downstream emissions by 2035, and 80% from electric generation by 2040. In addition, the company is investing in major electric grid enhancements and energy storage, and exploring zero-emission power generation technologies such as hydrogen and advanced nuclear.
Duke Energy was named to Fortune’s 2023 “World’s Most Admired Companies” list and Forbes’ “World’s Best Employers” list. More information is available at duke-energy.com. The Duke Energy News Center contains news releases, fact sheets, photos and videos. Duke Energy’s illumination features stories about people, innovations, community topics and environmental issues. Follow Duke Energy on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook.
Piedmont Natural Gas
Piedmont Natural Gas, a subsidiary of Duke Energy, distributes natural gas to more than 1.1 million residential, commercial, industrial and power generation customers in North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee. Piedmont Natural Gas earned the No. 1 spot in customer satisfaction with residential natural gas service in the South among large utilities, according to the J.D. Power 2022 U.S. Gas Utility Residential Customer Satisfaction Study, and has been named by Cogent Reports as one of the most trusted utility brands in the U.S. More information: piedmontng.com. Follow Piedmont Natural Gas: Twitter, Facebook.