PECO is executing a multimillion-dollar investment in Philadelphia to help prevent customer outages, modernize the electric grid, and reduce the impact of extreme weather on electric infrastructure through the remainder of 2023.

During the next five years, PECO will invest approximately $7.8 billion across its electric and natural gas systems to inspect equipment, complete targeted infrastructure enhancements and corrective maintenance, invest in new equipment, and perform vegetation management work.

These efforts include 32 electric reliability projects across Philadelphia in 2023, some of which include:

• Independence Mall/Lombard: Investing more than $50 million to enhance the local electric distribution system by upgrading underground cable and equipment to decrease power restoration timelines and increase load capacity to meet customers’ electrical needs, convert distribution load and interpose customers to 13 kV, and retire aging and obsolete 2.4 kV substations.
• Schuykill River: Investing more than $13.8 million to enhance the local electric distribution system in the area that services University City, replacing underground electric cables and pad-mount transformers. 
• Fishtown/Northern Liberties: Upgrading surrounding substation infrastructure in the areas that service Fishtown and Northern Liberties, replacing all existing lower voltage distribution equipment, and converting existing circuits to higher voltages to increase customer reliability and capacity. 

To further enhance reliability and maintain power to customers, PECO actively installs specialized equipment, known as reclosers, that can automatically restore service or isolate damage. In 2022 alone, 131 new reclosers were installed, bringing the total to 3,345 systemwide. During the past five years, these reclosers have avoided approximately 5.78 million power interruptions for customers.     
  
“Our customers are the focus of everything we do, which is why we’re prioritizing this strategic investment plan to ensure safe and reliable service to better withstand extreme weather and pave the way for cleaner energy resources,” said Brian Crowe, PECO’s Vice President of Technical Services. “Modernizing our energy infrastructure is critical to meeting the needs of thousands of residential and business customers across Philadelphia County.” 

Enhancing energy infrastructure to make it more resilient in the face of intensifying weather patterns, while supporting cleaner energy resources, is a key element of PECO’s Path to Clean, which includes a goal for PECO and the collective Exelon utilities to reduce operations-driven emissions by 50 percent by 2030 and achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. 

In addition to targeted reliability-focused infrastructure investments, PECO is committed to helping customers by providing a multitude of programs to manage their energy costs and save money. Learn more about PECO’s financial assistance programs.