Kentucky Power’s targeted system improvements plan focuses on strengthening reliability and managing long-term costs. Each year, the operations team uses system performance data and local conditions to prioritize proactive maintenance and disciplined investments.

“Our customers deserve reliable power,” said Michele Ross, Kentucky Power vice president of operations. “Because we understand that high bills are a real concern for many households, we are hyper-focused on investments that strengthen reliability and help keep costs predictable by reducing costly emergency repairs.”

This year’s operational work plan includes:

• Inspecting approximately 17,000 poles and replacing nearly 850 aging structures to strengthen system reliability and safety.
• Inspecting 117 circuits and repairing identified issues before they lead to outages.
• Installing more than 800 protective devices to shorten outage zones and reduce the number of customers affected when problems occur.
• Building new circuit ties that provide alternate power sources for areas previously served by single lines, allowing crews to reroute electricity and restore power faster.

With trees remaining one of the leading causes of power outages in eastern Kentucky, vegetation management remains a key priority. Kentucky Power crews and business partners are completing a five-year trimming cycle covering more than 1,600 miles of right-of-way (ROW) and removing trees outside the ROW that pose risks to power lines. Progress is already ahead of plan with the following statistics on record since the start of the year:

• 220 miles of ROW clearing completed, approximately 61 miles ahead of target.
• 7,750 trees removed outside of the ROW, about 2,000 removals ahead of schedule.

“Staying ahead of schedule isn’t just about checking a box,” Ross said. “We’re doing proactive work. Every mile cleared and every hazardous tree removed reduces the risk of an outage during the next storm and protects the families and businesses counting on us to keep the power on.”

Technology upgrades are also a key part of strengthening reliability while helping manage long-term system costs. Kentucky Power is expanding automation and upgrading equipment in targeted areas to reduce outage impacts and improve response times.

Key technology initiatives include:

• Expanding Distribution Automation Circuit Reconfiguration capabilities, which allow power to be rerouted automatically or remotely when faults occur, helping restore service faster without waiting for manual switching in the field.
• Upgrading older equipment and control systems to enable switching directly from the Distribution Dispatch Center, improving system visibility and allowing faster response during outages and severe weather events.

“We’re already ahead of schedule on critical reliability work like tree removal and ROW widening, and that progress is just the start,” Ross said. “Our operations work plan prioritizes proactive maintenance and disciplined investments that prevent problems before they happen — which means fewer and shorter outages, fewer emergency repairs and more predictable costs for customers.”