Electric Light & Power Magazine Names PSE&G As Its 2015 Utility of the Year

TULSA, Okla., Dec. 16, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Electric Light & Power magazine, which has covered the utility industry for 93 years, has named Newark, New Jersey-based Public Service Electric & Gas Co. as its 2015 Utility of the Year.

Editor in Chief Teresa Hansen and her staff selected the winner by considering infrastructure investment, reliability and customer satisfaction rankings, sustainability initiatives and financial strength, among other factors.

"After Super Storm Sandy, electric utilities in the Northeast were faced with not just repairing much of their infrastructures, but also with the bigger job of preparing them to better withstand future catastrophic events," Hansen said. "PSE&G has risen to the challenge by investing heavily in grid hardening, as well as infrastructure upgrades that will serve not only its customers, but also its shareholders."

PSE&G had a pivotal year in terms of infrastructure improvement in 2015. It began its post-Super Storm Sandy investment program—the three year $1.22 billion system-hardening Energy Strong program—in 2015, completed the 500-kV Susquehanna-Roseland transmission line and substantially completed the Northeast Grid Reliability Project, which is scheduled to be operational in early 2016. Together, the two transmission projects cost about $1.6 billion.

PSE&G was ranked "Highest in Business Customer Satisfaction among Gas Utilities and Large Electric Utilities in the East" according to J.D. Power. (For J.D. Power information, visit jdpower.com.) The utility also was once again recognized as first in electric reliability in the Mid-Atlantic region by PA Consulting.

It has about 2.2 million electric and 1.8 million natural gas customers across more than 300 communities throughout New Jersey.

A story about the award and an interview with Ralph Izzo, CEO of PSE&G parent firm Public Service Enterprise Group, is featured in the November-December edition of Electric Light & Power.

Hansen will present the Utility of the Year Award Feb. 8, 2016, in Orlando during the Electric Light & Power Executive Conference and DistribuTECH Awards Dinner at the Hyatt Regency. The Executive Conference kicks off that week's DistribuTECH Conference and Exhibition, the nation's largest annual event for the smart grid and electric transmission and distribution sectors, running Feb. 9-11 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando.

Electric Light & Power magazine has been naming its prestigious Utility of the Year Award winners for more than 20 years. Recent past award winners include Dominion Resources in 2014, PPL in 2013, Southern Co. in 2012, OG&E in 2011 and Hydro Quebec in 2010.

About PennWell

PennWell, the Tulsa-based parent company of Electric Light & Power magazine (www.elp.com), has been known for providing comprehensive coverage of several strategic markets since 1910. Today PennWell Corp. is a highly diversified, business-to-business media and information company with 320 profit centers, including 130 print and online magazines and newsletters, 60 conferences and exhibitions on six continents, and an extensive offering of books, maps, websites, research products, digital media and database services.

Contact: Rod Walton
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SOURCE Electric Light & Power Magazine