Duration of Power Outages Decreasing Due to BGE Electric System Upgrades
May 25 2016 - 4:03PM
Business Wire
As BGE continues to invest in electric system upgrades and
preventive maintenance, the reliability of service to customers
continues to improve. The average duration of power outages during
the first quarter of 2016, 81 minutes, was the lowest first quarter
measure on record for BGE. This follows a longer term trend in
which the average duration of outages has decreased by more than 38
percent over the last decade. BGE ranks in the top 25 percent of
utilities nationwide in fewest outages and shortest duration.
“Customers expect reliable service, and when outages do occur,
the sooner we can restore service, the better,” said Stephen J.
Woerner, president and chief operating officer of BGE. “The efforts
of our skilled employees, sharing best practices with our Exelon
sister utilities and the investments in equipment upgrades,
maintenance and new technologies are having a positive effect for
our customers.”
Changes to crew scheduling and dispatching practices, as well as
deployment of “fix-it-now” construction crews that have more
capabilities to restore service safely and quickly, are some of the
best practices BGE has deployed.
Each year, BGE invests approximately $500 million to operate and
maintain the company’s electric system infrastructure, part of more
than $6 billion invested in gas and electric system upgrades since
2002. In addition to reducing the duration of outages, the number
of service interruptions customers experience has also been on the
decline. Since 2006, the number of total electric outages has
decreased 43 percent.
One of the ways that BGE is reducing the duration and number of
power outages includes the installation of more overhead devices
called reclosers. When a problem occurs, like a fallen tree limb,
lightning strike or vehicle accident, the closest recloser stops
the flow of electricity on the line and automatically restores
electricity to as many customers as possible before permanent
repairs can be made. BGE has been installing hundreds of new
reclosers on the system over the last several years. Other measures
include selectively burying power lines in areas where overhead
interference is an issue. More than 60 percent of electric
distribution lines are located underground.
Tree trimming also continues to limit the number of power
outages caused by trees and other vegetation. In 2016, the company
is investing nearly $27 million on tree trimming and other
vegetation removal around approximately 2,300 miles of overhead
power lines along the electric distribution and transmission
systems.
BGE is working to move smart energy forward with solutions that
improve the reliability of customers’ service. Reliable energy is
smart energy. For more information on reliable energy, visit
bge.com/reliability.
BGE, founded in 1816 as the nation’s first gas utility, is
Maryland’s largest natural gas and electric utility. Headquartered
in Baltimore, BGE delivers power to more than 1.25 million electric
customers and more than 650,000 natural gas customers in central
Maryland. The company’s approximately 3,200 employees are committed
to the safe and reliable delivery of natural gas and electricity,
as well as enhanced energy management, conservation, environmental
stewardship and community assistance. BGE is a subsidiary of Exelon
Corporation (NYSE: EXC), the nation’s leading competitive energy
provider. Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter, YouTube and
Flickr.
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version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160525006405/en/
Baltimore Gas and Electric Company (BGE)Aaron Koos,
aaron.koos@bge.comBGE Media Hotline: 410-470-7433
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