Finalists named for Edison Electric Institute’s 95th Edison Awards

Published on April 27, 2023 by Kim Riley


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The Edison Electric Institute (EEI), which represents the nation’s investor-owned utilities (IOUs), on Wednesday unveiled eight finalists for the 2023 Edison Award, an annual award recognizing electric companies for their distinguished leadership, innovation, and contribution to the power industry.

“The companies selected as Edison Award finalists have made tremendous achievements in creating new technologies and in establishing programs that are advancing a clean global economy, improving reliability and resilience, and minimizing cost impacts for all customers,” EEI President Tom Kuhn said Wednesday in a statement. “Each is exceptionally deserving of this recognition.”

An independent panel of reviewers met in March to evaluate the nominations and selected five U.S. and three international electric companies as 2023 Edison Award finalists: American Electric Power, Edison International, Florida Power & Light Co., PPL Electric Utilities, and Puget Sound Energy, as well as the AES Corp., Endeavour Energy, and Terna S.p.A.

One company from each category will be selected to receive the award this summer. Following are highlights for why the reviewers chose each U.S. company.

  1. American Electric Power (AEP) – Headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, the IOU constructed a substation within a tight schedule to meet customer requests and at the same time achieved several firsts, including an innovative 138-kilovolt (kV) prefabricated structure design. The project’s construction time was reduced 40 percent to 50 percent, as compared to a traditional approach, and AEP now includes the structure and layout as standard designs. The concepts demonstrated for this project increase safety and reduce time to service, according to EEI.
  2. Edison International – The Rosemead, Calif.-based public holding company’s subsidiary Southern California Edison (SCE) developed an Electric Asset Data Remediation Tool to help facilitate risk-informed asset management decisions. SCE’s tool leverages data science and machine learning to improve the accuracy and consistency of asset data for a more dynamic energy grid. The benefits save time, reduce costs, and improve safety and reliability, said EEI.
  3. Florida Power & Light Co. (FPL) – The Juno Beach, Fla.-based IOU launched FPLAir One, the first large-scale fixed-wing drone of its size to be flown for commercial use outside of an Federal Aviation Administration test site. FPL used the drone to assess the impact of Hurricane Ian on the energy grid. The drone provided visuals of FPL infrastructure and hastened restoration efforts. Information gathered by FPLAir One also was used to assist with search and rescue efforts by state and local officials, according to EEI.
  4. PPL Electric Utilities – Based in Allentown, Pa., PPL Electric in October 2022 became the first electric company in the nation to integrate a dynamic line rating (DLR) system into market operations in the United States. The IOU installed and integrated the DLR system within its transmission management system in order to operate transmission lines with more accurate, real-time ratings. To help coordinate more efficient generation and ensure reliability, PPL Electric now sends hourly day-ahead ratings forecasts to PJM Interconnection’s market operations, EEI says.
  5. Puget Sound Energy (PSE) – Bellevue, Wash.-based PSE created the Clean Buildings Accelerator, a free, virtual program that assists building owners, operators, and facility teams in meeting state-mandated energy targets and helps decrease greenhouse gas emissions from commercial buildings. To date, PSE supports more than 60 customers working to meet compliance with more cohorts scheduled to start this year. PSE is targeting energy savings of 2 percent to 7 percent per building and is developing enduring relationships to save even more energy over time, states EEI. 

The winners of the 95th 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, which is being held June 11-13 in Austin, Texas.

“EEI’s member companies are committed to ensuring that customers have the energy they need when and where they need it, affordably and reliably, as we work to get the energy we provide as clean as we can as fast as we can,” said Kuhn.