BGE's systematic effort under way to improve electric reliability By STEPHEN J. WOERNER and JEANETTE M. MILLS
By now Bowie residents have begun to see Baltimore Gas and Electric Co. crews and contractors working in their neighborhoods as part of the utility's three-year Bowie Electric Reliability Action Plan. BGE launched this $25 million effort as part of its commitment to improve service to its Bowie customers.
Historically, the city of Bowie has experienced more power outages with longer durations than the systemwide average across BGE's service area. There are a number of reasons for this, including heavily wooded rear lot lines as well as infrastructure challenges. Residents have been understandably frustrated with reliability issues in their neighborhoods.
BGE is committed to changing that.
The work that we are conducting is intended to help ensure Bowie customers experience improved reliability. It's what we at BGE want, and what you, our customers, want as well.
Developed in collaboration with the Bowie Citizens Task Force, which includes representatives of BGE, city officials, community leaders and residents, the Bowie Electric Reliability Action Plan provides for evaluation and improvement of electric delivery design and construction, replacement or relocation of infrastructure where warranted, and aggressive vegetation management.
Construction and infrastructure efforts will focus on 12 of Bowie's 21 feeders, which are the worst performing in the city. To improve feeder design and construction, BGE will increase pole sizes to accommodate new construction, reduce infrastructure exposure, adjust the location of wires on poles to reduce the potential for outages, and install wire that is more resistant to tree interference. Transformers, wires and poles will be replaced or upgraded where appropriate. In some areas, circuits will be rerouted to allow for easier access for repairs and a few selected overhead lines will be buried underground when cost-effective.
Much of this work will require BGE and contract personnel have access to private property. In some cases, customers may be temporarily inconvenienced. Rest assured that BGE will do everything in its power to notify customers in advance and work with them to limit any inconvenience. In the event a customer's property must be disturbed during construction, BGE will work quickly to restore it to its original condition.
More than half of the power outages in Bowie have been the result of trees and tree limbs falling into power lines. To reduce this threat to the system, the trees along all 12 of the low performing circuits will be trimmed during the reliability project - even if the trimming is ahead of the normal schedule for the circuit. We will also implement a more aggressive tree-trimming standard for all 21 feeders.
This new trimming standard was piloted last summer along a portion of a feeder main serving the Meadowbrook and Chapel Forge areas. The results were overwhelmingly successful with no tree-related outages to date occurring on this portion of the main. In addition, BGE will work with customers to educate them about trees appropriate for planting near power lines and offer customers reimbursements when customers replace specified trees removed as a result of reliability trimming with trees approved by BGE.
Improved communications with customers is another focus of our Bowie reliability plan. This year BGE will enhance its call center operations to improve automated and direct communication with our call center during service interruptions. BGE is also testing a proactive customer calling process in Bowie that is intended to provide customers with updated estimated restoration information on outages that are expected to last for extended periods of time. After testing this process in Bowie, BGE will evaluate the benefits of implementing it across its entire territory.
Other communications improvements include keeping customers updated on the progress of the reliability plan. Over the course of the next three years, customers will receive updates about scheduled work in their neighborhoods via letter, individual customer meetings, news articles and open house events.
One such event, the March 12 open house at City Hall, was well-received by citizens and public officials alike. It was specifically for customers living in the Bowie neighborhoods benefiting from the first phase of the project, which include all or parts of Fairview, High Bridge Park, Stewart's Landing, Tulip Grove, Huntington, Huntington Crest, Rolling Hills, Rockledge, Belair Greens, Gradys Walk, Derbyshire, Bowie Forest, Buckingham, Collington Station, Collington Manor, Old Stage, Westview, Woodmore Highlands and Bowie Commons. This was the first of several open houses and other outreach activities BGE has planned in Bowie for the duration of the reliability improvement project.
Our goal is to keep customers informed every step of the way as the project progresses throughout the various neighborhoods and to allow customers to talk one-on-one with BGE representatives. The next BGE open house is scheduled for June. Details will be provided as we get closer to the date.
As this project progresses, BGE will continue to monitor system performance to address any additional issues that arise. We will also be asking for feedback from Bowie residents and elected officials on how we are doing in carrying out project work and conducting customer research to measure the effectiveness of our overall effort.
BGE's 3,200 employees are dedicated professionals, committed to doing whatever it takes to make sure we safely and reliably deliver gas and electricity to your homes and businesses. We are committed to improving reliability and customer service in Bowie and look forward to working with our customers in Bowie during this process.
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Stephen J. Woerner is senior vice president of Gas and Electric Operations and Planning; Jeannette M. Mills is senior vice president of Customer Relations and Account Services at BGE.
