SALISBURY, Md.- Delmarva Power announced Wednesday that it is energizing two major substation projects in Wicomico County this year. The company said the new Beaglin substation and upgraded Fruitland substation will enhance electric service for more than 21,000 customers across the county.
“To provide customers the safe and reliable service they expect, it is important to continue strengthening our energy infrastructure,” said Tyler Anthony, senior vice president & COO, Pepco Holdings, which includes Delmarva Power.
Delmarva Power said the substations, like Fruitland and Beaglin, reduce the voltage of electricity as it is delivered across the region to homes and businesses. Built by Delmarva Power and local contract crews, the new, modern substations will help deliver energy more efficiently and create new configurations on the local energy grid that the company said allows it to automatically restore service more quickly by isolating damage. By automating certain functions on the electric system, the new substations create a smarter energy grid and reduce the number of potential outages in the neighborhoods they serve, according to Delmarva Power.
The new substations are part of a broader reliability improvement effort Delmarva Power said it is implementing on the Eastern Shore to reduce outages and enhance the resiliency of the local energy grid. This effort includes modernizing the infrastructure, such as transmission and distribution lines, and adding greater automation on the local energy grid with new substations and equipment.
This reliability work on Delmarva Power’s energy infrastructure has contributed to customers’ experiencing the lowest frequency of electric outages ever in 2019 —for the third year straight, according to the company.