Duke Energy honors Indiana lineworkers who help strengthen grid & restore power

On Saturday, April 18, Duke Energy recognizes National Lineworker Appreciation Day and the Indiana lineworkers who keep the lights on. From year-round grid work that improves reliability to storm response, lineworkers bring skill, teamwork, and a strong safety focus to the work customers depend on.

What you need to know

Lineworkers build, maintain and upgrade the equipment that powers homes and businesses, and they respond when outages occur.

Reliability work – replacing aging equipment and adding technology to detect and isolate issues – can help reduce outages and speed restoration.

During storms and extreme weather, lineworkers coordinate with emergency responders as conditions allow, with safety guiding every job.

“To be a lineworker today, you have to master the fundamentals and be ready to adapt –using new tools and technology and learning new systems as the grid evolves,” said Kevin McGill, fourth-year lineworker apprentice, Duke Energy Indiana. “We’re always training, always improving and always focused on what matters most: serving customers with safe, reliable power. And when something happens – especially after a storm – we’re proud to be there to help people when they need it most.”

By the numbers

Duke Energy employs approximately 490 lineworkers across Indiana service area, supported by additional contract crews.

Many also live where they work – neighbors helping neighbors stay connected and supported.

Go deeper

Lineworkers – including line, substation, and relay technicians – are the hands-on workforce behind Duke Energy’s electric grid. They install, maintain and upgrade poles, transformers, and power lines to strengthen a more resilient, modern system that can meet evolving customer needs and growing energy demand.

Between 2022 and 2025, lineworkers helped increase the number of Indiana customers who are benefiting from self-healing technology to nearly 420,000.

In 2025 alone, this innovative technology helped avoid 100,000 outages for Indiana customers, saving around 350,000 hours of total outage time.

Pinegar

“Lineworkers strengthen our Indiana system every day to make it more resilient and provide the reliable energy our customers need and deserve,” Duke Energy Indiana President Stan Pinegar said. “The next time you flip a switch, charge your phone or power your business, please take a moment to thank a lineworker.”