Manhole lockdown: IPL secures its manhole covers

It took prodding by regulators and some public shaming, but Indianapolis Power & Light has achieved a safety first.

The electric company said Monday it has become the first U.S. utility to install locking covers on all of its downtown manholes.

The Swiveloc covers, installed on 1,214 of its manholes Downtown, should prevent the metal lids from becoming dangerous flying discs if more explosions happen, IPL said.

IPL's Downtown system has been bedeviled by at least 14 underground blasts and fires in the past five years. They have damaged cars and businesses and knocked out power to office buildings.

Installation of the special lids began in 2011, just before Indianapolis hosted the Super Bowl. The locking lids allow the metal cover to pop up a few inches but not fly skyward when a blast happens

IPL came under a tongue-lashing from the state Office of Utility Consumer Counselor this year for its slow-motion response to the manhole explosions. Completing the installation on all 1,214 manholes took four years, at a pace of about 6 installations a week.

The state consumer counselor blamed IPL's embarrassing exploding manhole problem on shorting basic maintenance and instead handing over hundreds of millions of dollars of revenue as dividends to its parent company, Virginia-based energy giant AES Corp.

"IPL continues to funnel millions of dollars a year to its parent company while ... providing lip service to its asset management system ... and inadequate prevention efforts to its exploding manholes," an OUCC analyst said in a filing with the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission.

IPL's manhole fix comes at an opportune time. The utility has a rate hike request -- its first in 20 years -- pending before the IURC. That puts the utility under special scrutiny by regulators, customers and the public.

Installing the covers was challenging work and should "reduce the likelihood and impact" of damage from future manhole explosions, IPL said.

“The safety and reliability of this system is always top priority, and we will continue to work to enhance the network and processes as a way to prevent future occurrences," Joe Bentley, IPL senior vice president of customer operations, said in a statement.

IPL’s underground network serving Downtown includes 110 miles of electric cables serving more than 2,600 customers. The explosions were sparked by short circuits and electrical arcing and other problems, including corrosion from nearby steam lines, inspectors have said.

Call Star reporter Jeff Swiatek at (317) 444-6483. Follow him on Twitter: @JeffSwiatek.