ComEd
Last updated: Public Relations Specialist | Wednesday, February 15, 2012
The Village presented their ComEd Reliability Report at a Town Hall meeting on Thursday, September 15, 2011. ComEd representatives were present to address issues identified within the Reliability Report. Village and State elected officials were also in attendance as were several residents who provided feedback about service interruptions.
Background
The Village of Downers Grove experienced two major storms in 2011 resulting in power outages throughout the community. The storms, related power outages and comments from residents prompted the Village to examine the overall reliability of the electrical distribution system owned and operated by Commonwealth Edison (ComEd). Through the analysis of outage data filed with the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) dating back to 2007, Village staff examined the number of outages and their cause to recommend actions that ComEd should take to improve reliability. The need for ComEd to improve communications with its customers is also clearly outlined.
Reliability Report Key Findings
- The Village has experienced 1,482 power outages since 2007. Equipment related issues were the number one cause of these outages.
- The 10 circuits that saw the most number of power outages experienced an average of 10.75 to 19.25 outages per year from 2007 to 2010.
- Equipment related issues were the leading cause of outages in 5 of these circuits. Weather/tree related issues were the leading cause in 5 of these circuits.
Recommended Actions
- Make improvements to the distribution system to reduce outages caused by faulty equipment.
- Increase tree trimming to reduce outages caused by tree contact during severe storms.
- Make improvements to the 10 circuits that have experienced the greatest number of outages and continue to make improvements to the remaining circuits once the top 10 are corrected.
Following the September 15, 2011 meeting, ComEd commited to provide an action plan based on recommendations in the Village's Reliability Report within 30 days.
Since the meeting, ComEd has done the following:
- Investigated each of the concerns raised at the meeting.
- Contacted the majority of residents who raised specific concerns at the meeting.
- Provided a plan for addressing most of the concerns that ComEd felt were actionable.
- Provided an explanation for not addressing some of the concerns.
The general timeframes provided by ComEd for making improvements that will improve reliability include:
- The scheduling of targeted tree trimming to be completed by the end of the first quarter of 2012.
- The completion of Mechanical/Equipment repairs by Summer 2012.
Update 2-15-2012
ComEd has notified the Village that it will complete its Targeted Tree Trimming efforts in Downers Grove by the end of February.
There are two equipment upgrades promised by ComEd that staff is tracking to ensure completion by the promised deadline of June 2012. The first is the installation of reinforced overhead cable in the area near 55th Street and Maple, which ComEd assures will be less susceptible to storm damage. The second is the installation of similar reinforced cable in the far northern part of the Village near 35th Street and Highland Avenue.
ComEd is also adding an additional equipment upgrade project in Downers Grove consisting of the replacement of 4,400 feet of underground cable in the circuit serving the area near 63rd Street and Main Street. This project is part of the infrastructure upgrades provided under the Smart Grid Bill and is planned for second half of 2012.
Update 1-19-2012
ComEd notified the Village that it recently completed two equipment upgrade projects in circuits identified by the Village as priorities for ComEd equipment investment. The equipment upgrades consisted of the replacement of 500 feet of underground cable east of Main Street between Bonnie Brae and Lancaster Ave and the replacement of 500 feet of underground cable near School Street and Herbert Street. The timing of equipment upgrades is consistent with the timelines presented by ComEd at the Town Hall meeting in September 2011.
Update: 12-16-2011
During the summer of 2011, the Village of Downers Grove completed a review of the reliability of the electricity service supplied by ComEd to the residents and businesses of Downers Grove. The report concluded that weather and tree-related issues caused 54% of the outages within the Village between 2007 and 2010. The Village identified the 10 circuits within the Village that were most vulnerable to service outages and requested that ComEd provide a plan for improving reliability in those priority circuits, including efforts to improve and/or increase tree trimming and vegetation control efforts to reduce the number of outages caused by weather/tree related issues. ComEd presented a plan for improving reliability at a public meeting September 15, 2011 and stated that it would perform enhanced tree trimming in eight of the ten circuits identified by the Village. ComEd also provided plans to perform enhanced tree trimming in three additional circuits that its records showed were also vulnerable to tree-related outages.
ComEd has completed its review of the priority circuits and has provided tree trimming plans to the Village. Tree trimming efforts are scheduled to commence in the first quarter of 2012, and may start as early as January. The Village Forester has reviewed the plans and the affected areas and agrees that the planned tree trimming, which includes removing some trees with owner permission, will be beneficial to improved reliability. The Village will require Com Ed to notify the affected property owners of pending tree trimming.
Update: 11-7-2011
ComEd has reported that they have completed the field review of the Downers Grove circuits that were identified for targeted tree trimming. Their work scope will be finalized within the next few weeks and they will meet with Village staff to review. The Village will provide this information to residents as it becomes available. Staff will monitor ComEd's progress.
Related
The documents listing the concerns raised at the Town Hall meeting and the corresponding ComEd responses are available here. Also included is a Fact Sheet regarding ComEd's Vegetation Management practices.
Attached is the podcast of the September 15, 2011 meeting and related presentations.