June 14, 2004—As a result of a wide-ranging self-assessment following last summer’s massive power blackout affecting eight states, Philadelphia-based PECO Energy recently verified it has adequate facilities, operational procedures, tools and training to ensure electric reliability for peak demand during the summer of 2004.
Even though the blackout did not affect the Greater Philadelphia region, PECO and its sister company, ComEd in northern Illinois, conducted a five-month review of its transmission operating and vegetation management practices. The team focused its examination on the industry findings of the root causes of the August 14 blackout as identified by a joint U.S.-Canadian Task Force, which issued an interim report last November and a final report in April.
The task force called the blackout preventable and cited four primary causes—overgrown trees in power line right-of-ways, increased need for coordination and communication within and among affected utilities, malfunction of computer systems and lack of adequate backup capability, and the inability of transmission operators to identify problems and visualize events on the system.
In recent months, PECO, ComEd and others from its parent, Exelon Corporation, participated in collaborative efforts led by industry trade associations. Members of the Exelon self-assessment team interviewed utilities affected by the blackout and identified best practices in the industry.
Sue Ivey, vice president, Transmission Operations and Planning, said the assessment resulted in about 50 actions completed in time for summer. Other longer-term actions will be completed within the year. The company also will work closely with state and federal regulators and the PJM Interconnection, which operates the transmission system in Pennsylvania, Illinois and other MidAtlantic states to ensure optimal reliability.
For more information, contact PECO.
