Duquesne Light Company Completes Permanent Repairs to Underground Cable Leak

Outbound lanes of Liberty Avenue now reopen

DLC crews addressed the leak on Liberty Avenue in Pittsburgh's Strip District
DLC crews addressed the leak on Liberty Avenue in Pittsburgh's Strip District

PITTSBURGH — Duquesne Light Company (DLC) has completed permanent repairs to the underground cable leak that originated on Liberty Avenue in the Strip District on Monday, April 29. The company used a freeze process to temporarily stop the leak before making necessary preparations for a permanent fix, which included welding a clamp to an existing pipe to ensure a complete seal. The leak caused approximately 47,000 gallons of dielectric fluid — a clear, non-toxic, mineral-like liquid — to escape. Some sheen from the fluid did appear on the Ohio River that was contained by river booms and removed by absorbents. No further traces of the fluid were found in public waterways, and there were no impacts to the public or aquatic life. The company is continuing to investigate the cause of the incident and will take further necessary action based on the findings of the investigation.

“I can’t thank our team and partners enough for the thorough work that went into this process and for achieving a safe, successful outcome,” said John Hilderbrand II, vice president of operations at DLC. “We were able to complete these repairs while maintaining reliable service and keeping our community and environment top of mind. We will continue to investigate the cause of the incident and take any further necessary action based on the findings of that investigation.”

Traffic update: Both outbound lanes of Liberty Avenue between 26th and 28th streets in the Strip District were reopened this afternoon, May 16.

For more information on the leak, please refer to previously published stories here:

Website preview
Duquesne Light Company Confirms Source of Underground Leak
Outbound lanes of Liberty Avenue to remain closed as repair work continues
Duquesne Light Company
Website preview
Duquesne Light Company Isolates Location of Cable Leak
Crews working in the Strip District near Liberty Ave.
Duquesne Light Company
Website preview
Duquesne Light Company Continuing Search for Cable Leak
Deploying two different methods to isolate sections of five-mile cable.
Duquesne Light Company
Website preview
Duquesne Light Company Crews Searching for Leak in Underground Transmission Cable in North Side
PITTSBURGH — On Monday afternoon, April 29, Duquesne Light Company (DLC) system operators learned that an underground transmission cable on the...
Duquesne Light Company

 

 

 

 

Get updates in your mailbox

By clicking "Subscribe" I confirm I have read and agree to the Privacy Policy.

About Duquesne Light Company

For more than 100 years, Duquesne Light Company has provided safe and reliable electric service to communities in southwestern Pennsylvania. Today, our core values of safety, integrity, dependability, equity and community enable us to serve more than 600,000 customers in two counties, including the city of Pittsburgh. We are committed to safely powering our customers’ lives while playing a leading role in our region’s clean energy transition. Our vision is to create a larger-than-light, clean energy future for all by delivering exceptional results today and boldly harnessing opportunities for tomorrow. In doing so, we can ensure a cleaner, healthier and more equitable community for generations to come.

 

View archived press releases and media resources here.

Contact

411 Seventh Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA, 15219

Media Line: 412-430-3404

www.duquesnelight.com