Boone, North Carolina | April 20, 2020
NRLP Earns Highest Rating As A Reliable Public Power Provider
New River Light and Power (NRLP) has earned the highest Reliable Public Power Provider (RP3)® designation from the American Public Power Association for providing reliable and safe electric service. 
NRLP was awarded the Diamond designation, the highest rating possible for a public power utility, for the first time after holding a Platinum designation for the previous six years and Gold two years prior to that.
The RP3 designation, which lasts for three years, recognizes public power utilities that demonstrate proficiency in four key disciplines: reliability, safety, workforce development, and system improvement.
Criteria include sound business practices and a utility-wide commitment to safe and reliable delivery of electricity. NRLP joins more than 275 public power utilities nationwide that hold the RP3 designation.
“Being designated as a Diamond level Reliable Public Power Provider is a great honor,” said Ed Miller, General Manager of NRLP. “We take a lot of pride in the work we do to power our community.
It’s nice to be recognized as among the ‘best of the best’ on a national level and it goes to show how hard our entire team works every day to provide the town of Boone with reliable and safe electric service, especially during the uncertain times that we currently face.”
“Receiving an RP3 designation is a great honor and demonstrates a utility’s commitment to implementing industry best practices in utility operations,” says Aaron Haderle, Chair of the Association’s RP3 Review Panel and Manager of Transmission and Distribution Operations at Kissimmee Utility Authority, Florida.
“RP3 utilities are consistently looking to improve their workforce, system reliability, and safety to serve their communities better.”
It was also announced today that NRLP was awarded the Safety Award of Excellence for safe operating practices in 2019 by the American Public Power Association.
NRLP earned first place in its category based on worker-hours of annual worker exposure. New River won the same award last year.
More information:
114 Utilities Honored with National Award for Reliable Electric Operations
125 Utilities Awarded for Outstanding Safety Practices
The American Public Power Association has offered the RP3 designation for 15 years now. The Association is the voice of not-for-profit, community-owned utilities that power 49 million people in 2,000 towns and cities nationwide. The Association advocates and advises on electricity policy, technology, trends, training, and operations.