When the power goes out during a storm, it's often because of trees falling outside of Kentucky Power’s rights of way (ROW) onto power equipment. With severe weather occurring more frequently, tree trimming and removal near overhead lines is imperative to help fortify the electric system, especially in the heavily forested terrain of eastern Kentucky.

Providing reliable service is a constant goal for crews charged with keeping the lights on for Kentucky Power customers. That’s why the vegetation management program is the centerpiece of the company’s reliability plan.

"With nearly one out of every two outage minutes caused by trees falling into our rights of way, it’s clear to see why this program is so important,” said Phillip Tolliver, distribution system manager.

As an industry standard, the System Average Interruption Duration Index (SAIDI) is used to calculate the average outage duration in minutes for each customer. SAIDI provides an industry-wide measurement that all utilities use and are often held accountable to by state regulators. 

“Since our vegetation management program began in 2010, the actual minutes customers are affected by ROW outages has decreased by as much as 83 percent," Tolliver said. "In a service area where 75 percent of distribution lines are exposed to vegetative risk and threat, this is a significant accomplishment for reliability improvement efforts."

Kentucky Power's ROW widening program began in 2018. Since then, approximately 180,000 trees have been removed as a proactive approach to protecting the power grid. In 2023, Kentucky Power removed nearly 34,000 trees outside of the ROW.

"Many of us who choose to live in the heart of Appalachia do so because of our love for the mountains and the forested landscape, but power restoration is much more challenging here than many other parts of the country because of the terrain," said Tolliver. "When we bring crews in from other states, they are often surprised by the ruggedness of our territory and the fact that many areas are not truck-accessible or on the side of a mountain, requiring them to walk, climb and carry all the equipment they need into a restoration area."

While vegetation management requires much diligence, it remains one of the most cost-effective solutions to improving electric reliability, Tolliver said.

“We're constantly working to improve day-to-day service for our customers, and we continue to see fewer power outages where this work has been completed."