ComEd Says It's Ready for Summer

ComEd officials recently announced that the company has informed the Chicago City Council Committee on Environmental Protection, Energy and Public Utilities at its annual summer readiness briefing that the company is well positioned to meet summer electricity demand.

ComEd President J. Barry Mitchell confirmed ComEd has sufficient resources in place to meet customer demand and fulfill its 15 percent reserve margin requirement under the PJM Regional Transmission Organization, which manages the electricity grid in all or parts of 13 states and the District of Columbia. Mitchell expects peak demand for electricity this summer could reach 23,525 megawatts (MW), less than last summer's all-time record of 23,613 MW set Aug. 1, 2006. One MW powers approximately 300 homes equipped with air conditioning and modern appliances.

"ComEd is prepared both in terms of energy supply and system reliability," Mitchell said. "Our system performed outstanding during last year's record period, and we are poised as always to meet customer needs—even on the hottest days."

ComEd says it is continuing to invest in its infrastructure to enhance reliability and meet growing customer demand. The company says that since 2000, it has invested about $4.7 billion to enhance its electric distribution system throughout the northern Illinois service territory—with $264.4 million invested in 2006.

"We performed 107 summer critical projects in Chicago to bolster reliability and system capacity ahead of the coming summer," Mitchell said. "In addition to installing new distribution lines and extending existing lines, we conducted numerous drills and carried out preventive and corrective maintenance to prepare our personnel and equipment for the coming summer."

For more information on ComEd's plans for the summer season, check out the press release.