Operational Excellence
July 8, 2022
Xcel Energy celebrates National Lineworker Appreciation Day
Xcel Energy is celebrating its thousands of line workers as part of National Lineworker Appreciation Day on July 10.
Xcel Energy lineworkers maintain more than 200,000 miles of electricity lines across the eight states the company serves, keeping the lights on for more than 3.5 million electric customers.
Nationwide, nearly 75,000 electrical lineworkers are on the frontlines of the power industry, working long hours in often dangerous conditions and extreme weather to keep the electricity flowing to homes and businesses. These men and women also perform critical work to maintain and enhance the power grid.
“Xcel Energy, alongside our industry peers at the Edison Electric Institute and our union partners at the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW), appreciates our lineworkers throughout the year, but we use this annual event to pause and reflect on the mission-critical work that lineworkers do every day,” said Bob Frenzel, chairman, president and CEO, in a video message honoring the day.
As usual, lineworkers this past year worked tirelessly through extreme weather from heat waves, blizzards, hurricanes, ice storms and wildfires. Lineworkers are highly skilled, training for as many as 7,000 to 8,000 hours. They often carry 40 pounds of gear while working on structures that can be up to 200 feet tall.
“This job has taught me so much in life,” said Patrick Kennedy, an Xcel Energy working foreman in Transmission Construction from Amarillo, Texas. “I am proud to know my job impacts everyone that we supply power to – from convenience stores to over-the-road truckers. The best part of my job is the knowledge I have gained to help me come home to my family just like I left that morning.”
National Lineworker Appreciation Day is celebrated every year on July 10 in honor of the life and work of Henry Miller, the first president of IBEW.