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Fayetteville, N.C.- Today the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced that Fayetteville PWC (PWC) is a U.S. Department of Energy Awardee and will receive a multi-million dollar matching grant to install new software and advanced technologies to improve electric reliability for customers. The mission of the Energy Department is to ensure America’s security and prosperity by addressing its energy, environmental and nuclear challenges through transformative science and technology solutions. Learn more at energy.gov.

PWC applied for $11,436,783 grant through the Grid Resilience and Innovation Partnerships (GRIP) Program. In addition, there is a recipient cost share of $12,299,571. The funds will support PWC’s Situational Awareness and System Automation Solutions to install technology engineered to allow for PWC to quickly and easily manage the energy distribution system, protecting infrastructure and improving the reliability of the system. The goal is to improve the System Average Interruption Duration Index (SAIDI) by 25%. For PWC customers, this will mean they will experience shorter power outages.

“Our goal is to provide customers with safe, reliable and affordable electric services,” said Jon Rynne, Chief Officer for PWC’s Electric System Division. “The technology funded by this Department of Energy grant will allow PWC to quickly isolate an outage, quickly and safely restore services, and improve reliability for customers.” 

One of the technologies made possible by this program will be the Distributed Energy Resource Management System (DERMS). DERMS will provide the platform necessary for real‐time monitoring, management, and dispatch of resources. The DERMS platform will enable PWC to fully leverage its three planned new solar farms, which will come online over the next three years.

A final component of the grant is establishing a Partnership Advisory Group that will bring together local education, business, and community agencies. Through these partnerships, PWC will provide procurement, hiring, and workforce development opportunities throughout the community.

The Fayetteville Public Works Commission (PWC) is one of 17 public power communities across North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia to receive 2023 Public Power Awards of Excellence.

Presented by ElectriCities of North Carolina, the awards reflect PWC’s commitment to continuously providing outstanding electric service to the community. Public Power Awards of Excellence recognize public power providers for developing a future-focused mindset, strengthening public power, providing superior power, providing customer-centered innovation, and prioritizing their people as their greatest asset.

PWC received public power awards in four categories:

The STRENGTHEN PUBLIC POWER AWARD celebrates communities that build public and political support for public power.

The PROVIDE SUPERIOR POWER AWARD highlights communities that deliver reliable, affordable, and sustainable electricity.

The CUSTOMER-CENTERED INNOVATION AWARD recognizes public power providers that innovate and invest to serve their communities better.

The PEOPLE AWARD distinguishes cities and towns that leverage their people as their greatest asset.

“I am proud of the dedication of our employees as these four awards reflect their steadfast commitment and the pride they take in doing outstanding work,” said Timothy Bryant, CEO/General Manager for PWC. “Every day, they consistently provide safe, reliable, and affordable utility services for our community. The benefits of a public power utility like PWC goes beyond providing value for our customers, it enables us to provide reliable service, create local jobs, and deliver exceptional customer service.”

PWC is honored to be Fayetteville’s hometown utility providing reliable electric and water services with rates that are among the lowest in the state. Our 650+ employees’ commitment to our customers and community is recognized across the state and nation. Working over five million hours with no lost time accidents, in addition to the 2023 Awards of Excellence, PWC has received the American Public Power Association’s RP3 (Reliable Public Power Provider) Diamond Designation six times, one of only 2 utilities in APPA to receive this award this many times.

“This year’s Public Power Awards of Excellence recipients are shining examples of the value of public power,” said ElectriCities CEO Roy Jones. “These outstanding communities prioritize local needs and put their customers first as they develop innovative solutions to provide safe, reliable power with superior service,” said Jones. “We’re honored to celebrate these communities, and we’re grateful for all they do to provide value to their customers.”

ElectriCities of North Carolina, Inc., is the membership organization that provides power supply and related critical services to over 90 community-owned electric systems in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia—collectively known as public power. ElectriCities manages the power supply for two power agencies in North Carolina and provides technical services to assist members in operating their electric distribution systems. ElectriCities also helps these locally owned and operated public power providers thrive today and in the future by delivering innovative services, including legislative, technical, communications, and economic development expertise.

Fayetteville, NC- The Fayetteville Public Works Commission (PWC) recently received national recognition for financial reporting with two awards from the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA). The first award was for the Distinguished Budget Presentation Award, the highest form of recognition given for governmental budgeting by the GFOA. This is the 29th consecutive time PWC has received this award. In May, PWC was awarded the Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting for the July 2022 to June 2023 Fiscal Year. This is the 17th year PWC has received this Certificate of Achievement. 

“I am proud the Government Finance Officers Association has recognized PWC with these two awards and the hard work PWC has put in to earn them,” said Timothy Bryant, CEO/General Manager of Fayetteville PWC. “Transparency is an important component in fiscal responsibility and speaks to our core values of committing to excellence and doing the right thing.”

“I would like to take a moment to thank the members of the finance team for their hard work and attention to detail in helping us achieve these awards,” said Rhonda Haskins, Chief Financial Officer of PWC. “These reports and budget presentations are more than financial statements, they serve as a policy document, a financial plan that guides operations, and a way to provide important information to our customers.”

The GFOA established the Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting Program in 1945 to encourage and assist state and local governments to go beyond the minimum requirements of generally accepted accounting principles to prepare annual comprehensive financial reports that evidence the spirit of transparency and full disclosure and then to recognize individual governments that succeed in achieving that goal.

The Distinguished Budget Presentation Awards Program was established in 1984 to encourage and assist state and local governments to prepare budget documents of the very highest quality that reflect both the guidelines established by the National Advisory Council on State and Local Budgeting and the GFOA’s best practices on budgeting and then to recognize individual governments that succeed in achieving that goal.

PWC has been providing utility services since 1905 to Fayetteville and surrounding communities. Currently, PWC provides more than 274,101 services including electric, water, wastewater, and irrigation. PWC’s 650 employees are responsible for maintaining more than 1,400 miles of power lines and 2,825 miles of water and wastewater infrastructure. PWC’s Annual Operating Budget this year is $428.8 million. The bond ratings for PWC are Aa2 with Moody’s and AA with both Standard & Poor’s and Fitch.