Dive Summary:
- Maryland’s Public Service Commission asked utilities how weeklong power outages could be avoided following severe storms, to which Baltimore Gas and Electric (BGE) officials replied that a few days could potentially be shaved off the wait.
- Kenneth DeFontes, president and CEO of BGE, said that making the system less vulnerable to the elements could improve response time, but the sheer volume of work makes 24-hour restoration “inescapable.”
- One idea that has been considered is putting certain power lines underground, but this would come at a higher cost.
From the article:
Unless utilities fundamentally change how they distribute energy, they won't be able to restore power to all customers within 24 hours after a hurricane-like storm, officials told Maryland regulators on Thursday.
Doug Nazarian, chairman of Maryland's Public Service Commission, asked how weeklong power outages could be avoided after major storms. After this summer's violent windstorm called a derecho, customers went as long as eight and a half days without power. Baltimore Gas and Electric officials said with improvements to protect power lines from trees and better work arrangements, a few days could be shaved off the wait. ...
