PECO Cuts Power to 'Volunteers' While Countless A/C Units Hum

PECO is shutting off power to selected institutional customers Friday afternoon as it races to cope with the highest customer demand it has ever experienced.

Agency spokesman Ben Armstrong said this afternoon that the company expected to set a new record for power usage Friday, just one day after breaking a record that had previously stood for almost five years.

PECO customers used 8,943 megawatts of power Thursday, eclipsing the previous record of 8,932 megawatts set on Aug. 3, 2006.

"We already know customers will be setting [another] new record today, but we won't have that number until tomorrow," Armstrong said.

Armstrong said PJM Interconnection, the Lower Providence-based operator of the regional electrical grid, has called for "load management measures" to be implemented across the mid-Atlantic region, encompassing PECO and many other electrical utilities.

That means customers who have volunteered to have their power interrupted during periods of high demand will be called upon to do so.

"Some customers are signed up to be interruptible customers. They receive a reduced rate during the year [in exchange] for this ability. They're compensated for the ability to cycle off power during peak demand periods," Armstrong said.

Armstrong said the customers in the program were large customers such as businesses and institutions, and that residential customers would not be called upon to have their power cut.

Narberth Borough Manager Bill Martin said the borough does not fall into that category of customer and expects no "rolling blackouts". Lower Merion Township officials could not be reached for comment.

PECO is able to handle the load, Armstrong said: "Overall, PECO's system is performing very well under the extreme temperatures and extreme customer demand."