Meet Our Electric Crew

Job Tasks

  • Repair and replacement of deteriorating poles and wires
  • Repair and replacement of street lights
  • Maintenance to all electric meters, including testing and upgrades
  • Installation of all new electric services
  • Management of all emergency and non-emergency electrical outages

Training & Continued Education

In order to be hired by the Hannibal Board of Public Works, all candidates are required to have vocational training in electrical line work where they earn apprentice status.  From there, each apprentice is encouraged to participate in the four-year Apprentice Lineman Program through Missouri Public Utility Alliance, of which the HBPW is a member.  This four-year program is designed to provide entry-level electric employees with the knowledge they need to perform their job safely and efficiently.  Throughout the four years, each participant is required to have a minimum of 7200 hours of on-the-job training.

Upon graduating, the apprentice becomes a certified journeymen lineman.  From there, these linemen have the opportunity to become a Lead Lineman and are responsible for the crew in the field.  The HBPW currently has three lead linemen.

The HBPW required multiple trainings for the electric crew including Hot Glove Testing, Die Electric Equipment Testing, and Pole Top Training once a year.

In addition, the Board of Public Works Electric Department maintains Hannibal's approximately 120 miles of electric lines, 6 substations, and more than 1,700 streetlights.

Hannibal's Energy Needs

Until May 2017 the Hannibal Board of Public Works was a full requirements customer (meaning all power was purchased from them) of Dynegy, and purchased in excess of 200,000,000 KWH annually.   In June 2017, we began a self-managed power supply plan.  HBPW is no longer selling Prairie State Energy Campus energy into the market but using it to meet our own loads along with energy we have purchased ahead through block contracts and hourly purchases from the MISO (Midcontinent Independent System Operator) market.

The Hannibal Board of Public Works is a Load Serving Entity and MISO Market Participant, and is required to own or control electric capacity sufficient to cover our peak annual load plus about 8% (varies annually) for reserve.