Essential Utilities Celebrates Infrastructure Week, Announces 2024 Infrastructure Upgrades

As the nation observes Infrastructure Week, Essential Utilities Inc. (NYSE: WTRG) reaffirms its commitment to enhancing service and reliability for customers through a robust $1 billion capital improvement program. This investment represents a cornerstone of its mission to invest in communities and advance national infrastructure through its water and gas utilities, Aqua and Peoples Natural Gas.

Since uniting under Essential in 2020, the company has allocated over $4 billion toward critical infrastructure enhancements. In 2023 alone, the company invested $1.2 billion on more than 7,000 individual projects, including approximately 220 projects over $1 million. Some of those key projects include:

• Valley Forge (PA) National Park Pipeline Replacement, an expansion project to deliver water to 670,000 people
• Western Hancock (IN) Wastewater Treatment Plant Expansion, doubling the plant’s capacity to support the region’s growth
• Peoples’ Over-Pressure Protection Program, which increases natural gas safety through improved detection and response times

Essential plans to escalate this commitment by investing an expected $1.3 billion in 2024, and an annual average of approximately $1.4 billion through 2028. These strategic investments directly address the pressing need for modernization and sustainability across Essential’s nine-state service area, ensuring compliance, reducing outages and safeguarding the environment.

“One of the greatest challenges facing the United States is the rehabilitation of our nation’s infrastructure,” said Christopher Franklin, chairman and CEO of Essential Utilities. “As a significant water, wastewater and natural gas provider in the country, Essential has a responsibility and opportunity to proactively address this for future generations. Through our expertise and resources, we’re infusing capital into vital systems, driving innovation and improving service reliability for our communities for generations to come.”

Planned initiatives directly benefit customers by enhancing service reliability, mitigating the risk of pipeline failures and ensuring compliance with evolving environmental standards. These investments will prevent water main breaks, address lead contamination and manage emerging contaminants like PFAS. The company plans to invest $450 million in PFAS research and state-of-the-art remediation solutions, aligning with the recent EPA regulations. The utilities’ planned 2024 work includes the following: