Duquesne Light Company (DLC) and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) on Sept. 16 held a press conference at DLC’s Woods Run campus in Pittsburgh to spotlight the utility’s deployment of new advanced technologies to help increase capacity and resiliency on the regional electric grid.
“DLC greatly values our partnership with the DOE and consistently works to ensure that federal dollars are being spent efficiently and ultimately in the best interests of our customers,” said DLC Director of Advanced Grid Solutions and Strategic Planning Josh Gould.
“As our industry rapidly changes,” Gould added, “we remain committed to leveraging this opportunity to uncover additional technologies that will allow us to bring even more value and better service to our communities.”
DLC and DOE highlighted the progress that’s been made since 2023, when DLC received a $19.7 million DOE grant to invest in grid modernization projects over a five-year period in Allegheny and Beaver counties.
Paired with a matching amount from DLC, the funds are part of the Grid Resilience and Innovation Partnerships (GRIP) Program, which aims to improve grid flexibility and resilience against increasingly extreme weather and climate change.
“Unleashing American energy dominance requires a grid that can deliver affordable, reliable, and secure power,” said Katie Jereza, assistant secretary for the DOE’s Office of Electricity. “Together with Duquesne Light Company, we’re putting public-private partnerships into action to unlock more capacity from existing infrastructure we have. For western Pennsylvania, that means a stronger foundation to power homes, businesses and economic growth.”
Since receiving the GRIP grant, DLC said it has further implemented new technologies on the grid, including dynamic line rating sensors on seven of its transmission lines that provide enhanced visibility across the transmission system and provide real-time capacity insights.
Beginning in October, DLC said it also plans to deploy tens of thousands of smart meters across its service territory. These devices, which will be installed on customer metering points, use real-time data to identify anomalies, support faster interconnection times, and underlay future advanced grid applications.