CHICAGO — With forecasts calling for a higher number of severe storms this summer, Exelon's six utilities have taken action to prepare, implementing a comprehensive and coordinated plan to be ready for severe storms and high temperatures. All of the Exelon utilities have invested substantially in smart grid and storm-hardening programs to help prevent power outages and restore service faster when they do occur, in addition to sharing best practices and resources across the company.
"Our customers depend on us to provide power safely and reliably, and we are always working to improve the service we provide through our utilities," said Denis O'Brien, senior executive vice president, Exelon, and CEO, Exelon Utilities. "Now, with the completion of the Pepco Holdings merger, we have a larger, more diverse team with more knowledge, best practices and resources to share. We will leverage our combined strengths to further improve storm response for our customers."
Exelon's six utilities -- Atlantic City Electric, BGE, ComEd, Delmarva Power, PECO and Pepco -- deliver electricity and natural gas to approximately 22 million people in seven states, including the major metro centers of Baltimore, Chicago, Philadelphia and Washington D.C. Exelon's utilities have invested substantially in recent years to upgrade substations, wires and poles, as well as deploy 7.4 million smart meters and other advanced technologies across their service areas. Over the next five years, Exelon will invest an additional $25 billion at its six utilities to continue to strengthen the power grid and improve service to customers.
Also included in Exelon's investments are innovative new technologies that provide benefits for customers. Digital sensors, smart switches and software installed at each utility can automatically detect power outages and reroute power to restore service to customers faster. The technology also helps Exelon's utilities better pinpoint the source of power outages so they can fix problems faster and more efficiently. In addition, mobile apps, social media and other technologies provide customers with up-to-date information about the location and cause of outages, and the expected restoration time.
In addition to storm hardening, the six Exelon utilities also prepare for summer by conducting emergency response drills to test processes and systems. Many such drills are closely coordinated with local police, fire and other emergency management officials.
Exelon utilities are among the nation's best for reliability performance. Now, with the completion of the Pepco Holdings merger, Exelon utilities facing severe weather can draw on resources from sister utilities in Delaware, Illinois, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Washington, D.C.
The six Exelon utilities together comprise the nation's largest utility company by customer count.
