Duquesne Light Holdings, Inc. (“DLH”) is an
energy services
An energy system is a system primarily designed to supply energy-services to end-users. The intent behind energy systems is to minimise energy losses to a negligible level, as well as to ensure the efficient use of energy. The IPCC Fifth As ...
holding company
A holding company is a company whose primary business is holding a controlling interest in the securities of other companies. A holding company usually does not produce goods or services itself. Its purpose is to own shares of other companies ...
formed in 1989 to serve as the holding company for Duquesne Light Company and to engage in certain unregulated energy and related businesses. After a 2007 acquisition, DLH is a wholly owned subsidiary of parent company DQE Holdings LLC, with principal executive offices located in
Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...
, Pennsylvania.
Through its chief subsidiary, Duquesne Light Company, the corporation provides energy to over 588,000 homes and businesses.
Historic incorporation
![Shocking (10484046863)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/42/Shocking_%2810484046863%29.jpg)
Duquesne Light was one of the dozens of companies founded by inventor
George Westinghouse
George Westinghouse Jr. (October 6, 1846 – March 12, 1914) was an American entrepreneur and engineer based in Pennsylvania who created the railway air brake and was a pioneer of the electrical industry, receiving his first patent at the age of ...
and for its first 75 years of operation (1870s-1940s) was a subsidiary of the holding company known as the "Philadelphia Company".
Other such companies also founded by Westinghouse such as the
Equitable Gas
EQT Corporation is an American energy company engaged in hydrocarbon exploration and pipeline transport. It is headquartered in EQT Plaza in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
EQT is the largest natural gas producer in the Appalachian Basin with 19.802 ...
company and other "Equitable" energy/electronic companies were equal subsidiaries with DQE when it was a subsidiary of the 'Philadelphia Company'.
In 1997, Duquesne and
Allegheny Energy
Allegheny Energy was an electric utility headquartered in Greensburg, Pennsylvania. It owned and operated electric generation facilities and delivered electric services to customers in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Maryland, and Virginia. Allegh ...
agreed to a $4.3 billion merger with headquarters remaining in
Hagerstown, Maryland
Hagerstown is a city in Washington County, Maryland,
United States and the county seat of Washington County. The population of Hagerstown city proper at the 2020 census was 43,527, and the population of the Hagerstown metropolitan area (exten ...
. However DQE backed out of the deal by 1998.
In May 2007, Duquesne was acquired by a consortium led by affiliates of the
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
n-based
Macquarie Group
Macquarie Group Limited () is an Australian global financial services group. Headquartered and listed in Australia (), Macquarie employs more than 17,000 staff in 33 markets, is the world's largest infrastructure asset manager and Australia' ...
Limited. The consortium consists of several institutional investors which own all of the common equity of parent company, DQE Holdings, LLC. This classifies it as an
investor-owned utility
Investor-owned utilities (IOUs) are private enterprises
The private sector is the part of the economy, sometimes referred to as the citizen sector, which is owned by private groups, usually as a means of establishment for profit (economics), profi ...
. In 2010,
GIC Private Limited
GIC Private Limited is a sovereign wealth fund in Singapore that manages its foreign reserves. Established by the Government of Singapore in 1981 as the Government of Singapore Investment Corporation, its mission is to preserve and enhance the ...
acquired a 29% stake from original investor DUET Group.
In 2018, Duquesne Light began offering $3,000 rebates for the purchase of
electric vehicles
An electric vehicle (EV) is a vehicle that uses one or more electric motors for propulsion. It can be powered by a collector system, with electricity from extravehicular sources, or it can be powered autonomously by a battery (sometimes cha ...
in an effort to promote adoption of electric vehicles and increase the number on the road. The company partnered with
Nissan North America
, trade name, trading as Nissan Motor Corporation and often shortened to Nissan, is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automobile manufacturer headquartered in Nishi-ku, Yokohama, Japan. The company sells ...
to execute the program. People in Pennsylvania who purchase electric vehicles, in addition to the rebate, get up to $7,500 in federal
tax credits
A tax credit is a tax incentive which allows certain taxpayers to subtract the amount of the credit they have accrued from the total they owe the state. It may also be a credit granted in recognition of taxes already paid or a form of state "disc ...
and a $1,750 rebate from the state. In 2019, the company named Steve Malnight as CEO, replacing Rich Riazzi, who had held the post since 2010.
References
External links
Official Web site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dqe
Electric power companies of the United States
Companies formerly listed on the New York Stock Exchange
Holding companies established in 1912
1912 establishments in Pennsylvania
Energy companies established in 1912