Atlantic City Electric PowerAhead
By NANETTE LoBIONDO GALLOWAY
VENTNOR City officials in November gave a nod to Atlantic City Electric's effort to improve service reliability for thousands of customers in the Downbeach area.
To improve reliability for customers in West Atlantic City, Margate, Ventnor and the surrounding area, Atlantic City Electric is enhancing power lines connecting its Pleasantville and Marven substations, creating a stronger, more redundant system between the mainland and Absecon Island, Atlantic City Electric spokesman Frank Tedesco said in a statement.
The Board of Commissioners voiced no opposition to the utility work, but they requested certain improvements to beautify the West Canal area.
The unanimous voice vote allowed the utility to proceed with the project. However, Solicitor Tim Maguire said the city would be preparing a comprehensive ordinance outlining procedures for working on utility projects in Ventnor.
The work includes adding a new underground cable under West Canal in Ventnor City using directional drilling technology to minimize environmental impact and to avoid disrupting marine traffic.
We are also rebuilding and modernizing power lines that deliver power from the mainland to these coastal barrier islands, strengthening local energy infrastructure to withstand more severe storms and hurricanes, Tedesco said.
The upgrade will meet increased energy usage during the summer months, Tedesco said.
Work is expected to be completed by the end of the year.
The city also requested Atlantic City Electric beautify the West Canal area, remove any poles that are no longer useful and replace a chain link fence with a vinyl fence with some landscaping.
Crews are also installing a third underground cable beneath the West Canal.
The two existing underground cables, installed in the mid-1980s and mid-1990s respectfully, are nearing the end of their useful lives. This proactive work will help maintain reliable service to residents and visitors to the region, Tedesco said.
This work is part of PowerAhead, a strategic grid resiliency initiative to modernize and enhance energy infrastructure in areas that have experienced outages during severe storms.
Atlantic City Electric started enhancement of the energy grid in 2017 and will continue working through 2022. The upgrades will improve reliability by reducing the frequency and duration of outages.
To learn more about PowerAhead, see atlanticcityelectric.com/reliability.
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