At Pepco, we care about the communities we serve, and we take seriously our commitment to deliver clean, safe, reliable, and affordable energy for our customers and communities. Every day, work is performed as part of our strategic effort to modernize and strengthen the local energy grid to better serve our customers. This effort includes dozens of targeted projects to modernize the energy grid and install new, state-of-the-art equipment in communities across the District of Columbia and Maryland. These upgrades continue to improve reliability for our customers by reducing the frequency and duration of outages.
Much of the work we do is focused on hardening our local infrastructure against more damaging winds and extreme storms. Across our service area, we are continuing to see the impacts of more frequent and more severe weather driven by climate change. We are continually analyzing the local energy grid to identify critical infrastructure projects to help the communities we serve become more resilient to the impacts of storms and hurricanes.
District of Columbia Projects Maryland Projects
Part of our commitment to delivering safe and reliable energy for our customers and communities includes actively managing and maintaining the existing electric system and planning for the future needs of our customers. The Capital Grid Project is an integrated solution that will strengthen the Capital area's electric system, promoting enhanced reliability and resiliency. Click here for more information
The 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. Click here for more information.
We are installing a new distribution conduit system in the northwest quadrant of the downtown area of the District of Columbia. This work involves installing new distribution lines to connect our F Street and L Street substations, which will support and facilitate the rebuilding of both substations and increase the energy capacity downtown. This project has five separate phases of construction (please note, schedules may change due to weather or other impacts):
For questions about this work, contact Linda Greenan, external affairs manager, at linda.greenan@pepco.com.
We have identified the need to replace and upgrade secondary underground power distribution feeders in certain neighborhoods in the District of Columbia. This comprehensive project will allow Pepco to increase the reliability and safety of Pepco's underground power distribution system. Specifically, the project requires crews to enlarge older manholes as well as replace aging power cables with new, more modern power cables providing greater reliability for neighborhoods in the future. Overall, the project makes our infrastructure access points in neighborhoods around District of Columbia safer for our employees and community. We have already completed work in Adams Morgan and Mt. Pleasant and are currently working in the Eckington area. We will also begin work related to this project in Trinidad in 2023. The project includes other neighborhoods in the near future as well. For questions regarding the current work in Eckington, contact Jamaal Jordan, senior external affairs specialist, at Jamaal.Jordan@pepco.com or Travoris Culpepper, external affairs manager, at tculpepper@pepco.com. For questions regarding work in Logan Circle, external affairs manager, at linda.greenan@pepco.com.
The G Street Conversion Project is a coordinated effort to improve the reliability of service in this community by upgrading equipment that will help increase the amount of electricity we can deliver to our customers. We will be increasing the capacity of our underground distribution lines by replacing existing underground equipment with more modern equipment that can support higher voltage and greater electrical capacity. For questions regarding this work, please contact Jamaal Jordan, senior external affairs specialist, at Jamaal.Jordan@pepco.com.
In 2016, we began an effort to improve the reliability of service in the Georgetown community by upgrading equipment to increase the amount of electricity we can deliver to our customers. As part of this work, we are increasing the capacity of our underground distribution lines replacing existing underground power lines and equipment with those that can support higher voltage and greater electrical capacity. Work has been completed along Water St. NW and K St. NW from 34th St. NW to 31st St. NW but was paused due to unexpected soil conditions and cost challenges. Work will begin again in the Georgetown waterfront area in October 2022 and is expected to be completed by the end of 2022. For questions about this work, contact Linda Greenan, external affairs manager, at linda.greenan@pepco.com.
Distribution construction is needed in the Columbia Heights and Adams Morgan neighborhoods to provide expanded capacity to meet the growing energy needs in the surrounding area. This project also will be used, as part of the Capital Grid project, to supply service to the Harvard Substation and Champlain Substation in advance of the rebuilding of those substations. The distribution project is planned to occur over several months:
For questions regarding this work, please contact Travoris Culpepper, external affairs manager, at tculpepper@pepco.com.
As part of the Priority Feeder Program (formerly known as the Comprehensive Feeder Program), we are upgrading underperforming feeders across the city by replacing both primary and secondary overhead lines in designated areas and placing new overhead power lines on new poles. This work also includes transferring third-party attachments, such as cable, fiber and District Department of Transportation lines, onto the new poles. Once completed, all old poles will be removed. For questions about this work, contact Linda Greenan, external affairs manager, at linda.greenan@pepco.com.
We identified an emergent need to replace transformer equipment that supports our Campus Drive substation that provides power to customers in Adelphi, MD., including the University of Maryland, College Park, University United Methodist Church, Domain College Park Apartments, and several single-family homes. Pepco crews and contractors have already begun work in and around Campus Dr. This work is expected to be completed in phases over the next six to nine months, and our crews will be working six days a week for 10 to 12 hours per day until the project is finished. Typical work hours during the week will range from 7 a.m. through 6 p.m., but hours are subject to change based on the needs of the project. We anticipate that there may also be some work on Saturdays (9 a.m. – 6 p.m.). We will work to minimize noise levels, but please expect some noise during our transformer replacement process. For questions regarding this work, please contact Tony Ruffin, external affairs manager, at aruffin@pepco.com.
We are working to enhance service reliability for customers in the Town of Cheverly. This work includes replacing aging wooden poles with new wooden poles and installing new wire that is more resistant to damage caused by trees and animals. Replacing aging poles and related equipment will help reduce the potential for weather-related power outages. This work will span approximately three-quarters of a mile along Parkway Street between the following locations: Arbor Street and Cheverly Circle, Cheverly Circle and Parkway Place to Forest Road, and Forest Road from Cheverly Avenue to Hillside Avenue. The project is expected to be completed by the end of 2022 (weather permitting), with most of the work taking place in public spaces as well as Pepco’s existing right-of-way. Some portions of work will require brief, planned outages. We will provide a tentative schedule before planned work takes place. Outage notices to affected customers will also be provided via door hangers at least 72 hours before an actual outage occurs. For questions regarding this work, please contact Tony Ruffin, external affairs manager, at aruffin@pepco.com.
We are constantly evaluating new technologies and services to build a smarter energy grid to further improve service for our customers. The Livingston Road Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) Project includes installing a battery storage system adjacent to our Livingston Road Substation in Oxon Hill, Maryland. The project will improve the reliability and quality of energy service for thousands of customers in the greater Oxon Hill area when customer demand for energy is highest. Project construction is expected to begin in October 2022.
We have a dedicated project phone number (888-996-0003) and email address (pepcobatterystorage@pepco.com) for this project to ensure we can respond quickly to your questions.
We have identified the need to replace and upgrade existing overhead electrical equipment in Prince George's County, Maryland. In 2018, Pepco began replacing wooden transmission poles with stronger steel poles. These upgraded poles are not only more resilient but also more resistant to storm damage. The work will span approximately 5.9 miles and will take place mostly along Central Avenue in Prince George's County between Campus Way, Watkins Park Drive and Shady Glen Drive, with the majority of the work in public spaces as well as Pepco's existing right-of-way. This project is expected to be complete by the end of 2022.
We have identified the need to replace and upgrade existing underground powerlines in parts of Montgomery and Prince George's counties. In August 2022, our project contractor, R. B. Hinkle, began work to replace underground power lines in the areas noted below. This work is expected to last approximately four months and working hours will range from Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Please know that we will make every effort to minimize disruptions and impacts to the community and will restore all areas affected by construction.
Pepco is constructing a new substation in the rapidly growing North Bethesda/White Flint area to deliver safe, reliable, affordable and sustainable energy to nearby families and business. Substation work began in 2020 and associated overhead and underground construction along Nebel Street, Marinelli Road, Old Georgetown Road, Citadel Avenue, Randolph Road, and Parklawn Drive will occur or has already taken place. As of September 2022, timelines associated with portions of this project have been adjusted and work is now expected to be completed in 2025. If you have questions, please contact Tony Ruffin, external affairs manager, at aruffin@pepco.com.
Get more information about ongoing infrastructure efforts. Infrastructure 101
