MAYS LANDING - Atlantic City Electric customers across southern New Jersey experienced the lowest frequency of electric outages ever in 2021, a result of the company's ongoing work to modernize and upgrade the local energy grid against increasingly severe weather. The frequency of outages in 2021 decreased from the previous record low in 2020, by more than 14%, and has improved by 60% over the last 10 years.
According to a release, severe weather events become more frequent due to climate change, more renewable energy such as solar comes on the grid, and more people begin to drive electric vehicles, utilities, like Atlantic City Electric, must continue to invest in the grid to help ensure customers continue to enjoy reliable energy service and to attract businesses, investment and clean energy jobs to the region.
We are committed more than ever to providing the best possible service for our customers, said Tamla Olivier, senior vice president and COO of Pepco Holdings, which includes Atlantic City Electric. Achieving record reliability for a second consecutive year is a testament to the ongoing work and dedication of our employees year-over-year to provide our customers safe and reliable energy service. We will continue modernizing the energy grid across our entire service area through strategic infrastructure upgrades that will help harden the system against severe weather and will further the development and interconnection of clean energy resources.
Each day, Atlantic City Electric performs work across South Jersey as part of the company's ongoing efforts to further improve reliability for customers. This work includes inspecting existing infrastructure, trimming trees that could impact the system, building new substations and new underground equipment, strengthening transmission and distribution lines, and installing stronger, tree-resistant aerial cable. Atlantic City Electric also installs innovative technologies to improve system reliability, such as specialized equipment, like smart switches and reclosers, that can automatically detect issues and restore service faster by automatically isolating damage. These technologies have been a major driver in the continued reduction in outages for customers.
In August 2021, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released a report that outlined the widespread, rapid and intensifying impacts of the climate crisis due to fossil fuel emissions. The report called out the need for the electric grid to be more resilient because it is often the last line of defense for residents and businesses.
Atlantic City Electric continues to invest in projects and initiatives to reinforce the local energy grid, while providing customers with the information they need to make informed choices on their energy use. The company's Smart Energy Network project includes the installation of more than 560,000 smart meters and associated equipment over the next three years to support the continued effort to bring customers a world-class experience.
On the local energy grid, Atlantic City Electric completed several key projects in recent years, helping modernize the grid and enhance reliability for customers. In 2021, Atlantic City Electric performed work on several projects to further improve service reliability. These projects include:
