Duke Energy and Piedmont Natural Gas are encouraging customers and contractors to call 811 before starting any digging or excavation projects. The reminder comes as Aug. 11 marks National Safe Digging Day, also known as 811 Day, which highlights the importance of marking underground utility lines before work begins.
The annual initiative is led by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA). By calling 811 at least three business days ahead of a project, homeowners, business owners, and contractors can have local utilities mark the location of underground lines such as electric, natural gas, water, sewer, phone, and cable TV.
From January to June 2025, Duke Energy and Piedmont reported more than 5,000 incidents where underground electric and natural gas lines were damaged in their service areas across North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Indiana. Of these incidents, about 1,450 involved damages to underground natural gas facilities in North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Ohio and Kentucky. Additionally, Duke Energy reported around 3,600 cases of damage to its underground electric network during this period. In total for 2024 alone, the companies reported over 8,870 damages to both natural gas and electric lines.
“Whether you’re finishing a summer yard project or starting something new this fall, call 811 before you dig,” said Brian Weisker, senior vice president and president of Duke Energy’s natural gas business. “Damaging a utility line can be dangerous and costly, but it’s easily prevented by this simple step. Safety and reliability start with contacting 811.”
For more information about safe digging practices or how to contact your state’s center directly via phone or online resources like https://call811.com/, customers are encouraged to visit https://www.duke-energy.com/safety-and-preparedness/call-before-you-dig.
Duke Energy serves approximately 8.6 million electric customers across six states—North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky—and operates a significant energy capacity portfolio. Its natural gas utilities reach about 1.7 million customers in several southeastern states.
Piedmont Natural Gas is a subsidiary of Duke Energy serving over 1.2 million residential and commercial customers in North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee. The company recently received top customer satisfaction honors among large southern utilities according to the J.D. Power 2024 U.S. Gas Utility Residential Customer Satisfaction Study.
More details on safety initiatives are available at https://illumination.duke-energy.com/.
For media inquiries: Zach Vavricka; available at all hours at 800-559-3853.
