When the lights go out, what matters most to customers is how many people are affected and how quickly power is restored.
That’s why Kentucky Power’s reliability work is focused on two goals: reducing outages and restoring service faster when outages occur.
The results are showing up across the system.
Kentucky Power customers experienced nearly 5 million fewer minutes without power over last year compared to 2024 — a 7% improvement in overall reliability.
Much of that progress is tied to a continuous improvement reliability strategy focused on strengthening the electric system before problems occur.
“We’re seeing the benefits of years of planning and investment come together,” said Bobby Tackett, Kentucky Power’s distribution system manager. “The work our crews are doing today is resulting in smaller outages, faster restoration times and a better experience for customers.”
One of the biggest improvements has been in outage duration. Kentucky Power’s System Average Interruption Duration Index (SAIDI), an industry measure of how long customers are without power, has improved by nearly 70 minutes over the past year. The company has reduced average outage duration from 197 minutes last year to 128 minutes so far this year.
At the same time, crews have improved restoration performance. Kentucky Power’s Customer Average Interruption Duration Index (CAIDI), which measures how quickly service is restored after an outage occurs, improved this year by approximately 30 minutes.
According to Tackett, that improvement is directly connected to the work happening across the system.
“We’ve added switches, fuses and other equipment that allow us to isolate problems more quickly,” Tackett said. “Instead of larger sections of a line being affected, we’re able to keep outages smaller and restore customers faster.”
This process, known as sectionalizing, helps limit the number of customers affected when an outage occurs. By dividing circuits into smaller sections and installing protective devices along the line, crews can isolate damaged areas while keeping power flowing to as many customers as possible.
Kentucky Power has also continued aggressive vegetation management efforts, another key driver of reliability improvements. Tree-related outage minutes declined by more than 6.8 million minutes year over year — an 18.2% improvement.
“Trees have always been one of the biggest causes of outages in our region,” Tackett said. “Our expanded right-of-way work and vegetation management efforts are making a real difference for customers.”
While progress continues, the work is far from finished.
The company’s reliability plan includes replacing aging equipment before it fails, adding and improving protective devices like fuses and cutouts throughout the system and continuing targeted vegetation management across its service territory.
Making those improvements is not always easy in eastern Kentucky, where mountainous terrain and limited access can make construction and maintenance work challenging. Even so, crews continue working through difficult conditions to complete projects designed to improve service for customers.
“Our work plan is one of the most aggressive we’ve seen,” Tackett said. “We’re on track, and we’re focused on getting these improvements in place as early as possible so customers can see the benefits sooner.”
For Tackett, who has spent more than 20 years in line operations and leadership, the results are proof that the strategy is working.
“Our goal is simple,” he said. “We want to deliver safe, reliable power to our customers. The improvements we’re seeing today show we’re moving in the right direction.”