Delmarva’s Electric Outages Down Due To Modernization Of Local Energy Grid

Delmarva Power customers across Delaware and Maryland are continuing to experience improvements in the reliability of their energy service, a result of the company’s ongoing efforts to modernize the local energy grid and support customers and communities through the pandemic. The frequency of power outages matched the company’s record performance in 2019, which was a 9 percent decrease from the previous low set in 2018. Over the past ten years, energy system upgrades and new innovative technologies have reduced the frequency of electric outages by 53 percent for Delmarva Power customers and communities.

“We are committed to providing the best possible service for our customers,” said Tyler Anthony, senior vice president & COO of Pepco Holdings, which includes Delmarva Power. “Tying our all-time low for customer power outages in 2020 is a testament to the ongoing hard work and dedication of our employees to meet this commitment during an especially challenging year when our customers needed us most. With more adults working from home and children learning virtually, we are focused on continuing to provide the reliable energy service they depend on and powering our communities through this pandemic.”

Each day, work is performed across Delmarva Power’s service area as part of the company’s ongoing efforts to further improve reliability for customers. This work includes inspecting existing infrastructure, trimming trees that could potentially impact the system, building new substations and new underground equipment, and strengthening transmission and distribution lines. The company also is installing innovative technologies to improve system reliability, such as specialized equipment that can automatically restore service more quickly or isolate damage. These new technologies have been a main driver behind the continued reduction in the frequency of outages customers experience.

In recent years, Delmarva Power completed several key projects to help modernize the local energy grid and enhance reliability for customers. These projects included:

Easton to Bozman Transmission Line Upgrade – Enhanced reliability for more than 2,000 customers in Talbot County, Md.
Cool Springs to Indian River Transmission Line Rebuild – Replaced existing transmission and distribution lines, modernizing the local energy grid and improving reliability for 75,800 customers in Sussex County, Del.
North Salisbury to Hebron Transmission Line Upgrade – Improved reliability for 5,600 customers in the greater Salisbury, Md. area.
Red Lion to Hares Corner Transmission Line Upgrade – Improved energy service for more than 12,500 customers in New Castle, Del.

In 2021, Delmarva Power is performing work on several major projects as part of the company’s ongoing efforts to enhance reliability and modernize the local energy grid. Some of these projects include:

Chestertown Substation Reliability Project – Involves the modernization of an existing substation to meet the region’s current and future energy needs. The project will improve the quality of energy service for local customers by reducing the number of outages in the area and allowing the company to restore service faster.
East New Market to Cambridge Transmission Line Upgrade – A major modernization project that includes rebuilding 11 miles of existing transmission line to strengthen the local energy grid and enhance service reliability for more than 13,600 local customers in Dorchester County, Md.

Delmarva Power also continues to share best practices for managing the local energy grid and responding to outages with its Exelon sister companies, Atlantic City Electric in New Jersey, BGE in Baltimore, ComEd in Chicago, PECO in Philadelphia, and Pepco in Washington, D.C.

 

Source: Delmarva Power

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