2022 Edison Award finalists announced by Edison Electric Institute

The Edison Electric Institute (EEI) has named seven American and two international electric companies as finalists for the 2022 Edison Award, which annually recognizes electric companies for distinguished leadership, innovation and advancement of the electric power industry.

“The companies selected have done tremendous work to create new technologies and to establish programs that are creating a cleaner global economy, improving reliability and resilience, and minimizing cost impacts for all customers,” EEI President Tom Kuhn said. “Each is exceptionally deserving to be recognized as an Edison Award finalist.” 

In March, an independent panel of reviewers evaluated the nominations and selected The AES Corporation, Exelon Corp., Green Mountain Power, PPL Electric Utilities, Public Service Electric & Gas, San Diego Gas & Electric, and WEC Energy Group as finalists for this year’s Edison Award. ATCO and National Grid were named finalists for the International Edison Award.

“EEI’s member companies continue to lead the clean energy transition that is directly benefiting the customers and the communities we so proudly serve,” Kuhn said.

EEI in a statement released on Thursday highlighted the efforts of the electric companies that helped make them Edison Award finalists.

1. The AES Corporation in March 2021 completed a first-of-its-kind clean energy microgrid for the U.S. Department of Defense located at the U.S. Navy’s Pacific Missile Range Facility on Kauai, Hawaii.
2. Exelon successfully connected more than 650,000 customers to $450 million in energy assistance throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
3. A new pilot program from Green Mountain Power (GMP) marks the first time an electric company has been able to network residential batteries, which will help keep the energy grid balanced for improved reliability and safety. GMP also is the first electric company to use only renewable energy and battery backup.
4. PPL Electric Utilities implemented a first-of-its-kind resistance drill-based inspection program for wooden power poles that quantifies the strength of poles and detects internal and external decay.
5. In 2021, Public Service Electric & Gas announced plans to invest an additional $842 million through 2023 to further strengthen its statewide electric and natural gas systems in New Jersey, further building upon the utility’s $2 billion investment following Superstorm Sandy.
6. San Diego Gas & Electric’s Cleveland National Forest Fire Hardening and Safety project encompassed a variety of wood-to-steel power pole conversions, strategic undergrounding, and the replacement of conductor with more fire-resistant equipment throughout roughly 880 square miles of rugged terrain in eastern San Diego County, which includes areas with some of the highest fire risk.
7. WEC Energy Group in 2021 completed its eight-year, $425-million System Modernization and Reliability Project, which has resulted in a 97-percent reduction in electric outage minutes in areas where overhead lines have been replaced with 2,000 miles of underground cable, improving energy grid reliability for more than 100,000 Wisconsin customers.
8. ATCO last year completed Canada’s northernmost off-grid Sree Vyàa solar project, which has significantly reduced diesel use in the Yukon community of Old Crow. ATCO and the Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation developed a first-of-its-kind Electricity Purchase Agreement that is considered a model for effective collaboration in the electric power industry.
9. The United Kingdom and Norway are now able to share renewable energy across the longest subsea electricity interconnector in the world thanks to the approximately $1.7 billion (USD) North Sea Link completed by National Grid and Statnett. The link started commercial operations in October 2021, enabling the trade of renewable energy between the two countries for the first time.

The winners of the 94th Edison Award will be selected by a panel of former electric company chief executives and will be announced during EEI’s annual thought leadership forum in June, according to EEI.