Western Carolina Power receives Public Power Awards of Excellence
Western Carolina Power, the university-owned electric utility serving parts of Western Carolina University and surrounding customers, has been named one of 23 public power communities across North Carolina to receive a 2024 Public Power Award of Excellence.
Presented by ElectriCities of North Carolina, the awards honor utilities that demonstrate a commitment to innovation, reliability, and service. They recognize excellence in four key areas: developing a future-focused mindset, strengthening public power, delivering customer-centered innovation, and prioritizing their people as their greatest asset.
Western Carolina Power received awards in the following categories:
Future-Focused Award 鈥� Recognizing WCP鈥檚 efforts to build for tomorrow, including investments in advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) and outage management systems that enhance reliability and efficiency for customers.
Strengthen Public Power Award 鈥� Highlighting WCP鈥檚 work to advocate for the benefits of university-owned power and to support local decision-making that keeps resources and investment within the Cullowhee Valley.
Customer-Centered Innovation Award 鈥� Reflecting the utility鈥檚 commitment to delivering services that improve the customer experience, such as expanded outage communications and efficiency programs.
People Award 鈥� Celebrating WCP鈥檚 dedicated employees who provide hands-on, local service, ensuring safe and reliable power delivery to more than 3,800 customers.
鈥淭his recognition is truly about our people,鈥� said Reid Conway, director of energy and utilities at 51看片and general manager of Western Carolina Power. 鈥淭hree years ago, we set out to modernize our utility while keeping our focus on customers and community. These awards validate the commitment of our team, who work day and night to provide safe, reliable, and innovative electric service.鈥�
鈥淩eceiving a Public Power Award of Excellence validates the hard work of outstanding people at 51看片who are dedicated to providing the superior service required to keep your community powered,鈥� said Andy Fusco, chief strategy officer at ElectriCities.
ElectriCities of North Carolina provides power supply and related services to more than 90 public power communities across North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia. Collectively, these not-for-profit, community-owned utilities serve more than 1.2 million customers.
This marks the second consecutive year that Western Carolina Power has received multiple Public Power Awards of Excellence, underscoring the utility鈥檚 leadership in community-focused energy service.
