Duke Energy and Piedmont Natural Gas celebrate natural gas employees on Natural Gas Utility Workers’ Day

• March 18 spotlights natural gas employees' role in serving more than 189 million Americans with safe, reliable natural gas

• Technicians are first responders, keeping communities safe in natural gas emergencies, and play a vital role in modernizing the natural gas delivery system

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Duke Energy and Piedmont Natural Gas are recognizing Natural Gas Utility Workers' Day on March 18, 2026, celebrating the utility employees who safely and reliably deliver natural gas service to homes and businesses nationwide.

Why it matters:

Natural gas employees help keep communities safe and energy flowing for millions of Americans every day.

• Technicians are often first responders during natural gas emergencies.
  
• Their work modernizing the natural gas infrastructure system supports growing communities and helps replace higher-carbon fuels.

By the numbers:

• More than 189 million Americans rely on natural gas service.
  
• More than 3,000 Duke Energy, Piedmont Natural Gas and contract workers support the system.
  
• Crews operate and maintain nearly 37,000 miles of natural gas transmission and distribution infrastructure across Kentucky, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina and Tennessee.

Our perspective:

Brian Weisker, Duke Energy senior vice president and president of Duke Energy's natural gas business:

"Our Duke Energy and Piedmont Natural Gas teams show up every day with safety and service at the center of everything they do. Their dedication to customers and the communities they serve is something I'm incredibly proud of."

Amy Spiller, Duke Energy Ohio/Kentucky state president:

"Our employees step up when it matters most - supporting customers by keeping homes warm and businesses running on even the coldest days of the year. We're proud to recognize our natural gas workers and the critical role they play across our region."

Background:
Natural Gas Utility Workers' Day was established by the American Public Gas Association in 2015 to raise awareness of the work performed by natural gas utility employees and the safety, environmental and cost benefits of natural gas. The observance honors a 1937 incident in New London, Texas, that led to widespread odorization of natural gas and a renewed focus on safety.

Learn more:

Piedmont Natural Gas

Piedmont Natural Gas, a subsidiary of Duke Energy, distributes natural gas to more than 1.2 million residential, commercial, industrial and power generation customers in North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee. More information: piedmontng.com. Follow Piedmont Natural Gas: X, Facebook.

Duke Energy Ohio & Kentucky

Duke Energy Ohio & Kentucky, subsidiaries of Duke Energy, provide electric service to 910,000 residential, commercial and industrial customers in a 3,000-square-mile service area, and natural gas service to 560,000 customers in a 2,650-square-mile service area, in Ohio and Kentucky.

Duke Energy

Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK), a Fortune 150 company headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., is one of America's largest energy holding companies. The company's electric utilities serve 8.6 million customers in North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky, and collectively own 55,100 megawatts of energy capacity. Its natural gas utilities serve 1.7 million customers in North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Ohio, and Kentucky.

Duke Energy is executing an ambitious energy transition, keeping customer reliability and value at the forefront as it builds a smarter energy future. The company is investing in major electric grid upgrades and cleaner generation, including natural gas, nuclear, renewables, and energy storage.

More information is available at duke-energy.com and the Duke Energy News Center. Follow Duke Energy on X, LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook, and visit illumination for stories about the people and innovations powering our energy transition.

Media contact: Jason Wheatley
Media line: 877.348.3612
[email protected]