Dive Summary:
- The Chicago-based Commonwealth Edison (ComEd) has announced the completion of a wave of improvements to strengthen the grid and crew response during the summer’s severe heat and storms.
- The preparations include inspecting aerial and underground electrical equipment, substations and other facilities; upgrading equipment; conducting emergency response drills; and testing computer and support systems. The utility also completed digital substation equipment upgrades, replaced more than 46 miles of mainline cable and inspected more than 137,000 wood poles.
- ComEd is in the midst of a 10-year, $2.6 billion program to modernize its electrical grid. This entails $1.3 billion to replace thousands of miles of cable, thousands of poles, and upgrading substations and other equipment. The utility will spend an additional $1.3 billion to digitize its system into a smart grid.
From the press release:
“In 2012, ComEd formed a storm task force and made more than 60 enhancements to its storm restoration process, which resulted in a 15 percent improvement in restoration time. "