NEW BERN, N.C. (WNCT) New Bern receives the annual Public Power Awards of Excellence from EletriCities of North Carolina.

The award recognizes achievement in areas of communicating the value of public power, grid modernization, continuous improvement, workforce development, and wholesale power cost.

The City of New Bern Department of Public Utilities was notified last week about receiving the award.

Charles Bauschard, Director of Public Utilities says, “Beyond keeping the lights on, the municipally-owned utility brings financial value to the City along with other quantifiable benefits such as local governance, local service, community support, and economic development. The utility reinvests its dollars in the City and that makes for a stronger community.”

The 2019 Public Power Awards of Excellence winners are New Bern, Albemarle, Dallas, Fayetteville PWC, Gastonia, Granite Falls, Greenville Utilities Commission, Kinston, Lexington, Maiden, Morganton, New River Light & Power, Rocky Mount, Smithfield, Statesville, Tarboro, and Wilson.

“The commitment and dedication that North Carolina’s public power providers demonstrate to their local communities are extremely impressive,” said ElectriCities CEO Roy Jones. “They are constantly working, in ways big and small, to deliver better service and more value to the millions of North Carolina businesses and homes served by public power.”