Press Releases
PGW Offices Will Be Closed on July 4, In Honor of Independence Day
PHILADELPHIA (June 29, 2023) – Philadelphia Gas Works’ (PGW) offices and Customer Call Center will be closed in observance of Independence Day on Tuesday, July 4, 2023. PGW’s 24-hour Emergency Hotline will remain open for emergency calls. All odor calls or gas-related emergencies should be reported immediately by calling 215-235-1212.
PGW offices and Customer Call Center will resume regular business hours on Wednesday, July 5, 2023.
Customers who need to access account information or pay their bill online can log into their PGW My Account, pay by phone at 215-235-1000, or make cash payments in person at hundreds of local retailers, including Walmart, CVS, Dollar General, Family Dollar, 7-Eleven, Speedway, Rite Aid, and Walgreens. For information, visit pgworks.com/customer-care/your-home/ways-to-pay.
PGW wishes our customers, employees, and residents of Philadelphia a safe and enjoyable Independence Day. We are proud to serve the city that is the birthplace of our nation. To be safe if grilling, always supervise the grill when in use and keep it out in the open, away from anything that could catch fire.
Philadelphia’s 2023 Wawa Welcome America Festival goes through Tuesday, July 4, encompassing 16 days of free multicultural and multigenerational, diverse, and inclusive events.
PGW Awarded a $10 Million Federal Grant for Infrastructure Safety
Funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law aids in accelerating PGW’s Main Replacement Program and allows PGW to install new natural gas pipelines to improve safety and service reliability
Philadelphia, Pa (June 27, 2023) – Philadelphia Gas Works (PGW) has been provisionally awarded a $10 million Natural Gas Distribution Infrastructure Safety and Modernization (NGDISM) grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), established by President Biden’s historic Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
PGW is installing modern, durable (polyethylene) plastic natural gas lines to increase safety and enhance natural gas service reliability. Replacing aging cast iron pipes with material that does not rust or corrode and that eliminates methane escape will help PGW meet its 2050 goal of reducing methane emissions by 80 percent.
“We are grateful to PHMSA for their commitment to improving natural gas safety and service for Philadelphia residents,” said Joseph Hawkinson, Vice President of Field Operations at PGW. “This PHMSA grant will be used to install several miles of new natural gas pipelines that make operations safer for our communities as well as our employees and contributes to the shared climate goals of PGW and the City.”
Each year, PGW installs more than 30 miles of natural gas lines, and with each mile of new main, emissions are virtually eliminated. The PHMSA funding contributes to PGW’s expected goal of completing the replacement of its cast iron pipelines by 2058.
The PHMSA NGDISM grant program helps improve public safety, protect public health, and reduce methane emissions from natural gas distribution pipes. The grant provides nearly $1 billion in funding over five years to modernize municipally- and community-owned natural gas distribution systems, like PGW, helping to keep communities across the country safe from pipeline leaks.
For information on the NGDISM grant program https://www.phmsa.dot.gov/news/biden-harris-administration-announces-historic-funding-37-projects-improve-safety-fix-old
For information on PGW’S pipeline improvements, go to pgworks.com/pipeline-map/
PGW’S High-Tech Tools Enhance Natural Gas Pipeline Safety
PGW marks National Safety Month by highlighting its state-of-the-art advanced leak detection technology
Philadelphia, Pa (June 26, 2023) – Philadelphia Gas Works (PGW) celebrates National Safety Month by educating the public on its vital infrastructure safety efforts through the use of Optical Methane Detection (OMD) technology.
OMD is a removable apparatus attached to the front of PGW vehicles utilizing laser technology that detects the presence of methane (which is lighter and less dense than air) as PGW technicians drive along neighborhood streets. If methane is suspected, an alert is sent to a monitor mounted in the vehicle. PGW’s specially trained technicians will then walk the area with a handheld gas detection instrument that pinpoints the near-exact location of possible methane release.
“PGW’s OMD trucks can monitor between 200 to 250 city blocks a day,” said Joseph Leva, Superintendent of Operations and Maintenance at PGW. “OMD is a proven, reliable, and sensitive technology that is very effective in monitoring for potential leaks along pipelines. Whenever methane is detected over a certain range, a PGW field service crew will dispatch to the scene to investigate and take appropriate action to ensure safety.”
As PGW works to replace all cast iron pipelines by 2058, OMD and other PGW leak detection initiatives are essential in prioritizing main replacements for system safety, service reliability, and meeting PGW’s sustainability targets.
To WATCH & SHARE VIDEO about PGW’s Optical Methane Detection technology, visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZfvmggY3tX4
Page 17 of 81 pages.
For Media help call our media hotline - Phone: (267) 249-7542 or Email: press@pgworks.com
Visit the PGW Archive for newsletters and special monthly announcements.

