PECO’s never-ending challenge to keep the lights on will become even more visible this year throughout suburban Philadelphia.

The energy provider is set to inspect more than 39,000 utility poles for potential problems — and fix any issues it finds — in Bucks, Chester, Delaware, and Montgomery counties.

The $3 million project is just a small part of the $500 million PECO spends every year on infrastructure maintenance for its 1.6 million customers, according to an Electric Light & Power staff report.

“Continuous inspection, repair, and replacement of equipment on our electric system is critical to ensuring safe and reliable service for our customers,” Vice President of Technical Services David Weaver said.

“Preventive maintenance programs such as this help reduce the frequency and duration of outages, and improve the performance of our entire system, keeping our customers and crews safe.”

PECO crews adhere to the National Electric Safety Code standard of pole inspections every 10 years, and their work checks what’s visible, what’s inside the pole, and what’s underground at its base.

Read more about the PECO utility pole inspection program in Electric Light & Power here.