Background: Severe weather is the leading cause of power outages in the United States (U.S.) and costs the U.S. economy billions of dollars per year. Outages caused by severe weather are expected to rise as climate change increases the frequency and intensity of storms, causing flooding and major wind events, heat waves and droughts, and changes in historic weather patterns. At the same time, our customers are becoming more reliant on electric service to power their daily lives. To maintain safe, reliable service for all customers in the face of climate change, Pepco is taking action to make the system smarter, stronger and cleaner to build resilience and to enhance our preparedness for major weather events. As a result of work to install new devices and more automated equipment as well as harden assets, customers have experienced some of the lowest average numbers of electric outages in the company’s history in recent years, as well as some of the fastest restoration times. For example, since 2013, the number of electric outages in the District have decreased by approximately 40%, with the company achieving top decile for performance.
Action: Pepco takes seriously its responsibility to maintain the safety and reliability of the system. We design our system and processes to withstand extreme weather events, respond to outages and restore service quickly, and build redundancy and resilience into our facilities. For example, Pepco has an extensive vegetation management program to support strategic tree trimming and works closely with the District of Columbia’s Department of Transportation’s Division of Urban Forestry on efforts. In addition, Pepco equipment installed below street level is designed to operate even if submerged for extended periods of time. Finally, we conduct extensive Summer and Winter Readiness analyses, including engaging with our customers and key stakeholders to remind them of steps they can take to prepare for extreme weather events and inform them of actions we are taking. Specific actions Pepco will continue and plans to take include:
- System Hardening, Redundancy and Resilience: We are investing for the future by making our infrastructure even more resilient to climate change, by modernizing the grid through dedicated initiatives such as DC PLUG and Capital Grid, and our newly launched distribution system planning process. These efforts will result in the undergrounding of select lines, the hardening and modernization of targeted substations, the build-out of a transmission backbone to create redundancy and connectivity across the District, and the identification of decentralized alternatives to meeting future capacity needs.
- System Automation: Pepco has taken steps to make the grid smarter through increasing automation and use of advanced technologies. Efforts include, among others, the Company’s Network Remote Monitoring System and the installation of reclosers and the activation of distribution automation schemes to help minimize the impact of outage events on our electric distribution system; the technology allows for the quick identification of outage events and locations and enables automated problem-solving. The pace and scale at which grid modernization and associated technologies can be deployed are determined by the regulatory approvals for these investments and funding requests.
- Standards Assessment: Pepco is engaged in a review of our engineering standards to ensure that equipment selected for projects now and in the future can withstand a changing environment and more extreme weather, such as higher temperatures, increasing wind speeds, greater levels of precipitation, and flooding.
- In the District of Columbia, a large part of the transmission system is underground, with the cable system designed to operate fully submerged in water for extended periods. Pepco is also taking additional precautions in areas prone to flooding by installing stainless steel racking in manholes to minimize corrosion, and increasing our design standards to require that underground cables be constructed a minimum of 42 inches below grade to minimize ambient air impacts. These underground cables are currently designed to operate at internal temperatures up to 176 degrees Fahrenheit, under normal conditions, and up to 221 degrees Fahrenheit, under emergency conditions.
- Pepco’s overhead transmission standards meet National Electric Safety Code (NESC) Extreme Wind (Rule 250C) and Ice Loading (Rule 250B) criteria. The overhead lines are also designed to meet required electrical clearances at maximum operating temperatures.
- Flood Mitigation: Pepco launched a flood mitigation program focusing on infrastructure located within both the 100- and 500-year floodplains. We have identified five facilities in the District of Columbia that meet these criteria. As an initial action, we will install flood monitors at these locations to allow us to react quickly should a flooding event become likely at these sites. We are also developing a flood mitigation plan for these facilities, including establishing minimum flood elevations for both current and future infrastructure.
- Storm Preparedness and Response: Pepco launched a Major Storm Response Improvement Project in 2020, which brings together subject matter experts from across the company to review the processes and procedures in place for storm preparedness and response. The project will identify and implement improvements to the company’s Summer and Winter Readiness programs, ranging from operations and logistics, to customer engagement and communications to ensure the Company is prepared for the future.
- Community Resilience Support: Through Pepco’s charitable program, including the Sustainable Communities Grant program, the company has funded two resilience demonstration projects in partnership with local organizations, including one with Jubilee Housing, a community-based nonprofit housing developer, and New Partners Solar located at the Maycroft Apartments in Ward 1, as well as a project located in Ward 6 at Ludlow-Taylor Elementary School.
While many of these activities and efforts are underway, others may require additional regulatory approvals or funding authority, including those in pending proceedings and cases. Pepco will continue to identify actions and investments we believe necessary to enhance the resilience of our system and advance plans and proposals as part of the regulatory process, accordingly.
Greenhouse Gas Impact: The District of Columbia released Resilient DC, a strategy for the District to thrive in the face of change. The plan includes a tactical implementation strategy and a series of actions and recommendations, including those for critical infrastructure, such as electricity. Pepco’s actions to enhance the overall resilience of the electric system, in addition to other actions included in this Climate Change Commitment will help support the objectives established in Resilient DC.