Snohomish County PUD has been recognized as a Platinum Reliable Public Power Provider (RP3) by the American Public Power Association for providing reliable and safe electric service to its customers.

“Being named an RP3 utility is a reflection of how great a utility the PUD is and has become,” said John Haarlow, PUD CEO/general manager. “To earn this award, it takes the whole organization working together toward our vision of delivering exceptional customer service. All PUD employees and customers should be extremely proud of his honor.”

To earn the RP3 designation, which lasts for three years, public power utilities must demonstrate proficiency in four key disciplines: reliability, safety, workforce development and system improvement. The PUD earned 94 out of a possible 100 points on its application.

“I think over the last year or so, we’ve seen the vital importance of running a reliable and safe utility,” said Aaron Haderle, chair of the American Public Power Association’s (APPA) RP3 Review Panel and manager of transmission and distribution operations at Kissimmee Utility Authority (Florida). “The utilities receiving RP3 designation have proven that they are committed to running a top-notch public power utility by implementing industry best practices.”

The 45-page application for the award covered an array of topics, from reliability metrics to financial health, that demonstrated sound business practices and a utility-wide commitment to safe and reliable delivery of electricity. Documentation contained in the application included safety and cybersecurity training, financial policies, equipment testing records, engineering studies, capital planning documents, system improvements and more.

“The application process was extremely rigorous and required detailed input from a large team,” said Jeanne Harshbarger, who led the application effort as the PUD’s manager of system planning and protection. “This was a wide-scale effort with numerous teams and departments from across the PUD providing information and details to earn the PUD this recognition.”

The APPA has offered the RP3 designation for 15 years and recognized 274 utilities with the honor this year. APPA represents not-for-profit, community-owned utilities like the PUD that power 49 million people in 2,000 towns and cities nationwide.