BALTIMORE, Jan. 15 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Baltimore Gas and Electric Company, a subsidiary of Constellation Energy , today announced that it is restoring power to its customers whose service has been interrupted as a result of this weekend's wind event.
High wind conditions with recorded gusts of 50 mph in some locations, along with a saturated ground due to recent heavy rain, have resulted in downed tree limbs and in some cases entire trees throughout BGE's Central Maryland service territory.
"BGE has implemented its storm response plan and is aggressively restoring power as safely and quickly as possible," said Mark P. Huston, vice president of electric transmission and distribution for BGE. " As always, safety is our top priority. For those customers who have lost power, we urge extreme caution around downed power lines and to contact BGE to report any loss of power. We thank our customers in advance for their patience as we continue to work throughout today and no doubt into tomorrow to restore power to those affected by this latest wind event."
The unusually high wind conditions, which are expected to exceed 24 hours in duration, will continue into the late afternoon and additional service interruptions could occur. BGE will continue to assess the damage to its system and restore power with the following priorities in mind:
-- Public safety including downed and sparking wires
-- Critical facilities including hospitals, 911 call centers, and water
and sewage treatment plants
-- Large outages affecting the greatest number of customers
-- Customers that have been without power for the longest period of time
BGE encourages its customers to report all outages by calling 1-877-778-2222. Knowing about each outage assists BGE to determine where the damage is on its system. As a reminder, BGE is no longer distributing dry ice in order to better support restoration efforts. Also, BGE urges its customers to avoid downed wires and trees. Customers should immediately report downed wires to BGE at the number above and warn others to stay away.
If dependent upon electric-powered medical equipment, customers are encouraged to make alternate arrangements in the event service is interrupted. Customers should also disconnect sensitive electronic equipment such as computers and televisions to avoid surge damage during restoration. (surges can occur at other times, so you may want to consider purchasing surge protectors for sensitive equipment.)
Customers also are reminded that when using a generator, or other carbon monoxide emitting device, they should keep the area properly ventilated and follow the manufacturers' instructions to avoid carbon monoxide poisoning.
The safety of BGE's customers and employees is always first and foremost. Customers should avoid downed power lines and instead report the situation immediately to BGE at 1-877-778-2222. Where downed wires is not readily apparent, customers should dial the same phone number and not assume BGE is aware of a loss of power. As a reminder, only qualified BGE personnel or contractors are authorized to remove debris from power lines. Customers should never approach downed wires for any reason.
For more information about BGE safety information, go to http://www.bge.com/. BGE serves approximately 1.2 million electric customers and approximately 620,000 gas customers.
BGE is a member of Constellation Energy , a FORTUNE 200 company based in Baltimore. Constellation Energy is the nation's largest competitive supplier of electricity to large commercial and industrial customers and the nation's largest wholesale power seller. Constellation Energy also manages fuels and energy services on behalf of energy intensive industries and utilities. It owns a diversified fleet of more than 100 generating units located throughout the United States, totaling approximately 12,000 megawatts of generating capacity. The company also delivers electricity and natural gas through the Baltimore Gas and Electric Company (BGE), its regulated utility in Central Maryland. In 2004, the combined revenues of the integrated energy company totaled $12.5 billion.
