Pennsylvania commission releases Summer Readiness Reports from electric utilities

The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC) recently released the 2017 Summer Readiness Overview reports, which detail the state’s electric companies’ preparations for conditions that may affect electric supply, price and service reliability during the summer months.

The PUC released reports, which cover potential issues such as severe storms and high temperatures, from the state’s electric distribution companies and the regional transmission organization, PJM Interconnection.

“For many people, summer is a time for vacations and recreation – but it’s also a season of storms and high demands for electricity, and it’s essential that our utilities are prepared to respond quickly and effectively,” PUC Chairman Gladys M. Brown said. “The Summer Readiness Reports submitted to the PUC detail how the industry is preparing for seasonal issues and the steps they are taking to help ensure reliable service to Pennsylvania residents.”

The reports focus on reliability enhancement programs, preventive maintenance programs, capacity planning, 2016/17 storm updates and lessons learned, 2017 summer readiness, and storm response. They also cover improvements such as smart grid technologies and outage restoration strategies, which are implemented to reduce interruptions and help restore service to customers.

The reports also show that Pennsylvania’s utilities have sufficient electric capacity for the expected summer energy demands.