At LG&E and KU, we’re committed to delivering safe, reliable and affordable energy to the communities we’re proud to serve—including yours. That commitment means continuously investing in our electric system to strengthen its resilience and protect it from the worst of Mother Nature.
Vegetation management: improving electric reliability
LG&E and KU are enhancing our vegetation management approach by focusing on high-risk trees and overgrowth that could interfere with power lines and cause outages. This is part of a larger effort to improve reliability across our system.
Did you know?
- Tree-related outages have increased more than 50% in the last decade, driven largely by severe weather events that have grown in frequency and severity.
- Roughly 70% of those outages occur when trees outside the right-of-way fall into power lines, creating significant damage and longer restoration times.
- During major weather events, outages involving large tree failures often result in the longest service interruptions.
- LG&E and KU’s team of certified arborists and vegetation management professionals are committed to proactive, cycle-based vegetation strategies, which are shown to lower long-term costs and improve reliability.
Distribution Maintenance Program
Our distribution lines deliver electricity from local substations to homes and businesses. Most run overhead on utility poles, while some are underground.
To keep service reliable, we inspect and clear trees and vegetation on a five-year cycle. For critical three-phase lines—the backbone of our system—we maintain extra clearance to reduce outage risks. This is consistent with industry practice, as greater clearance helps prevent limb contacts, grow-ins, and fall-ins on lines serving large numbers of customers.
Transmission Maintenance Program
Transmission lines can be compared to interstate highways as they carry electricity across great distances from generating stations to primary substations.
To keep service reliable, we inspect and clear trees and vegetation within a four-year cycle, following rigorous safety and reliability standards.
How We Perform Our Work
For both distribution and transmission line clearance, our crews will take great care when performing this work.
- We follow industry best practices and safety standards
- We’re committed to minimizing any disruption.
- After work is completed, our crews will do their best to leave the area as they found it—or better.
We also recognize the importance of maintaining a healthy and beautiful urban tree canopy.
- In neighborhoods where extensive vegetation work is performed, we’re encouraging local replanting efforts through our Plant for the Planet program.
- This initiative offers grants for community tree planting projects to help rebalance and restore the canopy—contributing to long-term beauty, shade, and environmental health.
