ACE: Report Power Outages

DIAMOND BEACH – Have a power outage? Report it, Veronica “Ronnie” Town, senior public affairs manager, Atlantic City Electric (ACE), told the Cape May County League of Municipalities April 18 at ICONA in Diamond Beach.
“We know when you’re out of electric when a whole feeder or substation goes out,” said Town. “We don’t know if your street is out of service.”
Town pointed to ACE’s app, which allows customers to report power outages, as well as streetlight problems. Customers can also call customer service at 1-800-642-3780​​.
An area that ACE is working to make a priority is wires down, according to Town, especially when it’s blocking a major roadway.
“We’re going to cut that wire down, clear the road, it might not restore to people for a while but we’re going to make sure the emergency folks have access to the roads.
“That might be a challenge with some folks, they want the lights back on but we need to clear the roads, make sure people are safe first, and then we can go back to restoring people,” Town said.
To report downed lines, customers are asked to call 1-800-833-7476. 
Reliability Projects
Town reported on several projects in 2019 to improve reliability and resiliency, especially during major weather events. They are:
Peermont Hereford Feeder – A new distribution feeder was added in Stone Harbor for $400,000.
Power Ahead Project – Includes replacement of existing distribution poles and adding another feeder and tie in North Wildwood and Middle Township at a cost of $4.5 million.  
Recloser Saturation – Would improve reliability for customers in Ocean City and Upper Township, 53 reclosers (an automatic, high-voltage electric switch) installed at a cost of $4 million, and Stone Harbor and Avalon, 17 reclosers installed at a cost of $1.3 million. Each recloser cost $66,000 to install.
Rio Grande Substation – Includes a rebuild of Rio Grande at a cost of $35 million, along with the addition of three transformers, and a new control building. The substation would feed customers in Middle and Lower townships.   
Sea Isle Substation – Includes adding a new transformer with an overall cost of $6.7 million.
“A lot of money is being invested in our community,” said Town.