ComEd upgrades to reduce power outages in the Arlington Heights area

ComEd has completed a $1 million project to replace or reinforce eight miles of underground distribution cable in four north suburban Cook County communities, improving reliability and reduce outage frequency for approximately 1,500 customers.

Underground cable can be damaged in many ways ranging from lightning striking the ground where the lines are buried to general wear and tear over time. Because the lines are buried underground, they can take longer to repair when damaged.

ComEd replaced almost four miles of cable in Arlington Heights, Mount Prospect, Palatine and Prospect Heights. On another four miles of underground cable, ComEd used a new "injection" technique that can add 20 years to the life span of existing cable by injecting a silicone-based material to help fill cracks in the insulation.

"This work was part of a systemwide $26 million effort this year to proactively replace and reinforce more than one million feet of underground cable on our system," said ComEd President and Chief Operating Officer Anne Pramaggiore. "This work will continue throughout 2010 and will cost-effectively benefit tens of thousands of customers for years to come in the form of less frequent underground outages."

Some of the longest lengths of locally replaced and reinforced underground lines were located along Bloomington Avenue in Arlington Heights, and Dundee Road and Sterling Avenue in Palatine.

"Since 2001, ComEd has invested more than $6 billion to expand and upgrade our transmission and distribution systems," said Executive Vice President of Operations Terence Donnelly.

That's resulted in a 39 percent reduction in the frequency of customer interruptions since 1998, and a shortening of outage duration by 34 percent.