Commonwealth Edison Company receives weather readiness award

Commonwealth Edison Company (ComEd) recently received the Ambassador of Excellence Award from the National Weather Service of Chicago in recognition of its efforts to ensure readiness, responsiveness, and resilience against weather, water, and climate events.

“ComEd has been an active ambassador for several years to ensure weather safety of their employees and publics they serve,” Stephen Rodriguez Jr., National Weather Service meteorologist, said. “Additionally, ComEd collaborates with the National Weather Service on a biannual state exercise to provide public and private agencies the opportunity to prepare and plan for high impact weather.”

ComEd conducted its most recent statewide drill in May. Through the drill, ComEd coordinated a comprehensive, multi-agency response to simulated disasters, including extreme flooding and a cyberattack. More than 80 organizations participated in the exercise.

ComEd has also made significant investments to harden its energy system against severe weather. Since 2012, ComEd has improved its overall reliability by more than 60 percent and avoided more than 13 million customer interruptions.

“As a result of our smart grid improvements and dedicated employees, we have set records in delivering the highest levels of reliability,” Cheryl Maletich, ComEd senior vice president of transmission and substation, said. “I’m proud of our employees who work around the clock in often challenging conditions and of our partnership with the National Weather Service to strengthen resilience against extreme weather.”

This is the third year in which the National Weather Service of Chicago is recognizing Weather-Ready Nation (WRN) Ambassador organizations that have contributed to weather readiness.