Prattville lineman honored as Alabama’s Lineman of the Year

When storms roll through Autauga County, the gap between a quick restoration and a long night often comes down to linemen working in dangerous conditions to get power back on. For Prattville’s Jay Johnson, that work earned statewide recognition Wednesday when the Alabama Power lineman based in the Prattville operations area was named Lineman of the Year by the Energy Institute of Alabama.

Organizers said Johnson led his division and Alabama Power in callouts in 2025, responding to 310 outages with 100 percent availability. He also completed 1,661 work orders while assisting multiple service areas, including Prattville and Wetumpka, a workload that reflects how quickly line crews are pulled from one emergency to the next across central Alabama.

The award was presented during a Lineman Appreciation Day event in Montgomery hosted by the Energy Institute of Alabama at Dixie Electric Cooperative. Lineworkers from across the state were recognized for restoring power after severe weather and other emergencies, a task that touches every part of daily life from homes and schools to traffic signals, medical equipment and local businesses.

The recognition also underscored how large the profession is in Alabama. The Energy Institute of Alabama says more than 2,000 linemen work for the companies and utilities represented by the institute, including Alabama Power, PowerSouth Energy, Electric Cities of Alabama, the Tennessee Valley Authority and electric cooperatives. Alabama Power has said it has served the state for more than a century, and its outage information stresses that trained crews are central to restoring service safely and as quickly as possible.

The honor carried a personal note for State Sen. April Weaver, R-Alabaster, who said the award meant something to her because her grandfather was a lineman and storms could keep him away for days or weeks at a time while he restored power. Energy Institute President and CEO Clay Scofield said lineworkers deserve recognition because many people do not realize how hard it is to keep the lights on.

The timing also tied Johnson’s award to a larger calendar of recognition for the trade. National Lineman Appreciation Day is observed annually on April 18, while Alabama’s own Lineman Appreciation Day was designated by the Alabama Legislature in 2014 as the first Monday in June. For Prattville and the rest of Autauga County, Johnson’s award put a local face on a job that becomes most visible only when the power goes out.