ComEd: 99 Percent of Customers Restored After Tuesday's Blizzard

CHICAGO, Feb. 3, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Working round-the-clock, ComEd crews have restored power to virtually all 190,000 customers affected by the historic blizzard that blew through northern Illinois. The blizzard packed the third highest snowfall in Chicago's history. Battling icy roads, deep snow and road closures, crews were able to restore power to 90 percent of affected customers within the first 24 hours.

"We are extremely proud of our dedicated crews who worked vigorously in the last three days to safely restore service to our customers," said Anne Pramaggiore, president and chief operating officer, ComEd. "Our crews were out repairing high-voltage electric lines and downed wires enduring the blistering snow, wind storm and frigid temperatures.

"We also appreciate the patience of our customers as we worked through this massive winter storm. Once every customer is restored, our crews will focus their efforts on making long-term repairs to return the electric system to maximum efficiency and reliability."

ComEd expects to have the remaining isolated outages restored by late this evening. Restoration efforts for the last few customers unfortunately take longer because these outages typically either affect a small number of customers or require repairs in difficult to access areas.

"ComEd is also working in partnership with the city of Chicago and other municipalities to gain access to our equipment. They also have been diligently working in these extreme working conditions to clear alleys and streets to assist in our restoration efforts," added Pramaggiore.  

The record breaking blizzard severely impacted the ComEd electric system, ripping down power lines and damaging other equipment. Since the start of Tuesday's storm, crews have replaced 22,000 feet of cable, which is the equivalent to 73 football fields.

Customers remaining without service should contact ComEd to ensure that the company is aware of their outage or to obtain an update on the status of their outage by calling 800-EDISON-1. Spanish-speaking customers can call 1-800-95-LUCES (1-800-955-8237).

Commonwealth Edison Company (ComEd) is a unit of Chicago-based Exelon Corporation (NYSE: EXC), one of the nation's largest electric utilities with approximately 5.4 million customers. ComEd provides service to approximately 3.8 million customers across northern Illinois, or 70 percent of the state's population.

SOURCE ComEd