Building Tomorrow's Energy Grid Today

As the primary electricity provider in the Nation's Capital, we have a responsibility to deliver safe and reliable energy to our customers. The Capital Grid Project is an integrated solution that helps strengthen local energy grid over the long term, promoting enhanced reliability and resiliency. Through this project, we are continuing our purposeful work, delivering on our promise to provide safe and reliable energy to our customers, and acting on our commitment to continually drive our communities forward.

The Capital Grid Project is a forward-looking plan that is:

• Upgrading three existing Pepco substations in the District and Maryland
• Constructing a new substation to serve the Mount Vernon area in the District, which is experiencing rapid growth and development. This community will further benefit from emerging clean energy technology solutions as part of the Mount Vernon Connected Community Roadmap project
  
• Creating a networked system by installing approximately 10 miles of underground transmission cable 
  

The project is a solution that resolves many needs in the Nation's Capital and results in a modernized system that can withstand and recover from unforeseen events, such as severe storms or equipment failure. In addition, there are several long-term benefits for our customers including:

Enhancing Reliability

• Upgrading the Takoma, Harvard and Champlain substations will involve replacing aging equipment with new equipment that has more capacity to meet the long-term energy needs of the areas served by the substations now and in the future
  
• Updating the substation facilities to accommodate the new equipment

Improving System Redundancy and Resiliency

• Much of the District of Columbia and surrounding areas receive power from point-to-point or "radial" transmission lines that terminate in the area they serve
  
• Installing underground transmission cable will create a networked system, allowing power to be supplied through a number of paths, and build in additional flexibility to minimize the impact should severe weather, equipment failure, or an unforeseen event occur  

Support Growth of Renewable Energy

• By increasing substation and transmission capacity, the Capital Grid Project will also increase the grid's capacity to accommodate more customer-generated power, such as rooftop solar

Enable Economic Development

• Supporting residential and business growth in the Nation's Capital
  
• Expanding procurement opportunities for local, minority, women, veteran, and disabled contractors for the project's work

Timeline

Pepco provided information on the details and benefits of the Capital Grid Project to multiple stakeholders, including the Public Service Commission of the District of Columbia (PSC) and the Board of Zoning Adjustment (BZA). The PSC and BZA formally approved the project, and construction began in 2020. The proposed timeline is included in our Capital Grid Project fact sheet.

We will continue to coordinate with local partners and governing agencies to minimize the impact on businesses, traffic and parking, or other possible disruptions. 

Interactive Project Map

View our interactive map showing where construction will take place and when we will be visiting your community to talk about the project.

Contact Us

Email: CapitalGrid@Pepco.com

Join the Conversation: Follow @PepcoConnect on Twitter and Facebook. Use the hashtag #CapGrid.