​WASHINGTON, D.C. (Feb. 6, 2020) – Pepco customers experienced record reliability in their energy service in 2019, a result of the company's ongoing efforts to modernize the local energy grid. Reliability improvements include: 

• Pepco customers experienced the lowest frequency of electric outages ever in 2019, marking a 4 percent decrease from the previous low set in 2017. 
• A 32 percent decrease in the frequency of electric outages customers experienced during the past five years, thanks to energy system upgrades and new innovative technologies.
• In 2019, on average, customers experienced less than one outage over the course of the year, and if service was interrupted, crews were able to safely restore service around 89 minutes.

"The unwavering commitment our employees have to providing the best possible service for our customers is key to our repeated success," said Tyler Anthony, senior vice president & COO, Pepco Holdings, which includes Pepco. "Through their hard work, and our integration of advanced technologies and industry best practices, we continue to meet our customers evolving energy needs and be a leader in the delivery of clean, safe and reliable energy."

Pepco received PA Consulting's 2019 ReliabilityOne™ Most Improved Utility Award for efforts to modernize the local energy grid and deliver more reliable service for its customers.

Each day, work is performed as part of the company's ongoing efforts to further improve reliability for customers. This work includes inspecting existing infrastructure, trimming trees that could potentially impact the system, building new substations, building new underground equipment, strengthening transmission and distribution lines, and installing stronger, tree-resistant aerial cable. The company also is installing innovative technologies to improve system reliability, such as specialized equipment that can automatically restore service more quickly or isolate damage. These new technologies have been a main driver behind the continued drop in the frequency of outages customers experience.

In 2019, Pepco completed several key projects to help modernize the energy grid and enhance reliability for customers. These projects included:

• Benning Area Reliability Plan – The Benning Area Reliability Plan is a coordinated effort to improve the reliability of service in your community by upgrading equipment such as utility poles and overhead lines and adding new technology to the system. We will also be adding new feeders to the system, which will increase capacity to meet the area's growing demand for electricity.
• Harvard Distribution Project – The Harvard Distribution Project will be used to improve the reliability of nearby Fort Slocum Substation feeders, as well as to provide load relief in the surrounding area. This project also will be utilized, as part of the Capital Grid Project, to supply Harvard Substation load in advance of the substation rebuild.
• Harrison Street Substation – Pepco is upgrading the Harrison Street substation in the Friendship Heights area of Washington, D.C.  Related to this project will be the upgrade of underground supply feeders to the substation.
  

In 2020, Pepco will perform work on several major projects as part of the company's ongoing efforts to enhance reliability and modernize the local energy grid, all to provide customers with the reliable energy service they have come to expect. Some of these projects include:

• Capital Grid – The Capital Grid project is a ten-year strategy to strengthen the resiliency and reliability of the District's energy grid by modernizing aging infrastructure while creating a smarter energy system. The upgraded grid will support the city's continued growth, accommodate more customer-generated power and have built-in technologies that help the District meet its clean energy goals.
• DC PLUG – The District of Columbia Power Line Undergrounding (DC PLUG) initiative is a multi-year program focused on the underground placement of the most vulnerable distribution power lines. In the face of increasingly severe storms, the DC PLUG initiative is expected to improve resiliency and reliability
  

Pepco also continues to share best practices for managing the local energy grid and responding to outages with its Exelon sister companies, Atlantic City Electric, BGE in Baltimore, ComEd in Chicago, Delmarva Power in Delaware, and PECO in Philadelphia.

To learn more, readers are encouraged to visit The Source, Pepco's online news room. Find additional information about Pepco by visiting pepco.com. Follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/pepcoconnect and on Twitter at twitter.com/pepcoconnect. Our mobile app is available at pepco.com/mobileapp.