Dive Summary:
- After Hurricane Sandy, East Coast utilities are bracing for 2013’s Hurricane season and spending billions on upgrades and the smart grid.
- Long Island Power Authority saw 82% of its customers without power during Sandy. Now under the control of New Jersey’s PSE&G, the Long Island utility has announced its $4 billion “Energy Strong” plan to protect critical facilities and deploy the smart grid across its distribution network.
- New York’s Consolidated Edison announced last week an investment of $2.2 billion to strengthen the grid from future storms. The spending includes $1 billion to fortify transfer stations, power lines and other grid assets over the next four years.
- Baltimore Gas & Electric (BG&E) announced pre-summer preparations last week, with a focus on getting its customers involved via its PeakRewards tariff program. BG&E’s deployment of smart meters has already helped it reduce truck rolls and phone calls.
From the article:
“In neighboring Pennsylvania, PECO announced last week that it has completed some 50 projects to prepare for the summer peak, including powerline, substation and facilities maintenance; equipment replacement and upgrades; and “maintenance and testing of various computer and support systems.”