PECO Spending $2.2M on Delco Vegetation Management

The following was provided to Patch by PECO:

PECO is investing $2.2 million in vegetation management along 288 miles of aerial electric lines to improve electric service for about 23,000 customers in Delaware County. Work began in January and will be completed by the end of March.

Specifically, work is occurring in Concord, Edgmont, Marple, Middletown, Nether Providence, Newtown, Thornbury, Upper Providence and Willistown townships, and in the boroughs of Brookhaven, Chester Heights, Media and Rose Valley.

“Vegetation growth causes about one-third of all electric outages,” said John McDonald, vice president of Technical Services. “Preventive pruning around aerial power lines is vital to safely keeping the lights on for our customers.”

Each year, PECO invests approximately $500 million to enhance its electric infrastructure, including preventive maintenance and equipment upgrades. As part of this work, in 2015 PECO will invest about $36 million in vegetation management work around approximately 2,800 miles of aerial electric lines.

PECO’s vegetation management crews are trained in arboricultural techniques as defined in the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) A300 Standard. This standard takes into account the type and location of the tree, its relation to overhead equipment and overall health of the tree. Customers are notified before work begins in their area.

For more information call 1-800-311-6345, ext. 915 or visit peco.com and click on the Trees and Powerlines link under the Customer Service / Service Request tab on the home page.

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