The Edison Electric Institute (EEI) has awarded ComEd its Emergency
Recovery Award for outstanding efforts in restoring electric service to
more than 425,000 customers impacted by the double derecho and tornado
events in June 2014. ComEd and sister utilities BGE and PECO were part
of only 12 utilities nationwide to receive awards during the EEI CEO
Conference and Board Meeting in Washington, D.C.
“More than 1,200 ComEd employees, other utility workers and contractors
from 10 states worked around the clock to safely and efficiently restore
service to customers,” said Anne Pramaggiore, president and CEO, ComEd.
“It is an honor for ComEd to receive this award, which recognizes the
tremendous work undertaken by all of our employees and supporting crews
who successfully restored the majority of customers impacted before the
July 4 holiday.”
BGE, in Baltimore, and PECO, in Philadelphia, both were recognized with
the Emergency Recovery Award for the company’s response to Ice Storm
Nika.
“It is an honor that all three of the Exelon utilities have been
recognized for their significant efforts to serve our customers,” said
Denis O’Brien, CEO of Exelon Utilities. “This recognition is a true
reflection of the commitment of each and every Exelon employee to world
class performance. It also demonstrates the value of being able to share
best practices and drive improved performance as part of a family of
utilities.”
The June 30, 2014 severe thunderstorms included a rare double derecho
and seven tornadoes in ComEd’s service area, causing widespread damage
to the electrical infrastructure. Approximately 79,000 lightning strikes
were reported within ComEd’s service area with rainfall over four inches
and peak wind speeds of up to 110 miles per hour in some areas. The
extent of damage included 300 broken or displaced poles, more than 175
damaged transformers, replacement of 125 miles of damaged or downed wire
and replacement of more than 105,000 distribution system components.
ComEd crews were joined by local contractors and crews from Indiana,
Missouri, Wisconsin, Iowa, Kansas, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and
Mississippi. ComEd was able to successfully restore 90 percent of all
customers within 40 hours and 99 percent of customers were restored
within three days of the storm.
“ComEd's exemplary efforts to restore service demonstrate the industry's
commitment to serving its customers,” said Tom Kuhn, president of Edison
Electric Institute. “We commend the crews who braved dangerous
conditions in the wake of this severe storm, as they diligently worked
to safely and quickly restore service.”
The Emergency Recovery Award is presented annually to U.S. and
foreign-based companies to recognize emergency response efforts in
restoring electric service that has been disrupted by severe weather
conditions or other natural events. Award recipients were chosen by a
panel of industry judges following an international nomination process.
EEI is the association that represents all U.S. investor-owned electric
companies. Its members provide electricity for 220 million Americans,
operate in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, and directly
employ more than 500,000 workers. EEI has 70 international electric
companies as Affiliate Members, and 270 industry suppliers and related
organizations as Associate Members.
Commonwealth Edison Company (ComEd) is a unit of Chicago-based Exelon
Corporation (NYSE: EXC), the nation’s leading competitive energy
provider, with approximately 7.8 million customers. ComEd provides
service to approximately 3.8 million customers across northern Illinois,
or 70 percent of the state’s population. For more information
visit ComEd.com,
and connect with the company on Facebook,
Twitter
and YouTube.
Copyright Business Wire 2015