Dear Neighbor,

I want to share an update on the recent power outages impacting Dupont Circle, WestEnd and parts of Georgetown, Downtown and Foggy Bottom over the last several days.  

The repetitive nature of Pepco’s power outages on some of the hottest days of the year created a dangerous, stressful, and confusing situation for many residents and led to loss of business for many local businesses and loss of hourly wages for staff – this is completely unacceptable.

I have raised these concerns with Pepco and also raised the frustration with the lack of communication from Pepco that many residents and business owners experienced.Pepco and DC Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency’s communications protocols did not live up to the reasonable expectations of residents and businesses and I believe new protocols must be put in place so everyone can have more frequent and accurate updates. I want to give special thanks to your Advisory Neighborhood Commissioners (ANCs), who have diligently shared information and advocated on your behalf.

As my team and I continue to be in frequent contact with Pepco and HSEMA, I am sharing Pepco’s latest update below. We will be working on more sustainable improvements.

Yours in Service,

Brooke

Update from Pepco

Situation Overview:

On Tuesday evening, July 15, Pepco experienced multiple equipment failures on sources to the 22nd Street substation causing increased load on the system. Impacts from this event have been ongoing and crews continue working around the clock to make repairs. This work is expected to continue through July 30 and there is a risk of additional customers outages until all permanent repairs are completed.  

Pepco has generation onsite to help limit outages from impacting the area. We have asked large load customers to continue to reduce non-essential load and conserve energy if possible to help reduce strain on the system until repairs are completed. Residential customers not impacted by an outage, can also help by conserving energy at home.  

The Pepco underground system is a series of feeder cables that connect each substation to provide energy service to our customers. In this case, equipment issues are affecting the path between Takoma substation and the 22nd Street substation. Below is the series of events for this incident:

July 15

• At 7:38 p.m. Tuesday, July 15, a feeder cable tripped at 11th Street NW and Clifton Street NW. No customers were impacted.  

• A second feeder tripped at 8:15 p.m. that same day at 11th Street NW and Monroe Street NW, which caused an electrical failure. Despite this failure, no customers were impacted.

• Security cameras captured footage of fire and explosion at this site.

July 16

• At 11:45 p.m. an electrical failure resulting in a fire occurred at the 22nd Street substation. DC Fire responded and extinguished the fire.  

• With three feeders down, this created a configuration that could lead to a larger, more impactful outage  

July 17

• At 4:21 a.m. Pepco crews noticed the load increasing on the system and to prevent a larger outage, proactively turned off customers to prevent an overload on transformers.  

• A second customer drop was needed at 6:21 a.m. to prevent overload.  

• This affected approximately 1,800 customer [accounts] on Thursday.  

• Crews worked to make initial repairs and were able to restore impacted customers that afternoon.  

July 18

• Crews continued work to make permanent repairs at the substation and to all other equipment that was impacted by this event.  

July 19

• Around 1 a.m. Saturday morning, a feeder at the substation tripped again, leading to the need to proactively disconnect about 175 customer [accounts] a second time.  

• Impacted customers were restored around 9:30 a.m.

July 20

• Around 7 a.m. Sunday morning, a feeder at the substation tripped again, leading to the need to proactively disconnect approximately 1,800 customer [accounts].  

• Impacted customers were restored around 3:30 p.m.

Pepco crews continue work to address electric issues at our substation on 22nd St NW in Washington, D.C. Work on impacted equipment is expected to continue over the coming weeks, and the 22nd St. substation will be out of normal configuration until that time.

• Pepco crews are working safely and as quickly as possible to address this issue.

• Our full emergency response organization is activated and working to address this issue.  

• There are related issues along 11th St. NW from Monroe St. to Clifton St. where crews continue to work as well.  

• Traffic control measures are in place around work areas.

• There are multiple locations where full cable replacement is required and additional repairs must be completed.  

• The complexity of this work is labor intensive and time consuming.

• We are closely monitoring load at the substation and reviewing contingency plans to proactively address future equipment issues.  

• We also have additional generation available in the area to help limit outage impacts.

• We appreciate the patience and understanding of our customers and the broader community as we complete these critical repairs.  

Why some customers are experiencing outages:

• When the electric system is under stress, we may need to take immediate action to protect the grid. This process is called load management.

• Load management helps balance electricity supply and demand. If demand exceeds what the system can safely deliver, we may need to temporarily reduce the load by interrupting service to certain areas.  

• This is done to prevent larger, more widespread outages and to protect the remaining infrastructure from becoming overloaded.

• These decisions are not made lightly. They are based on real-time data and are necessary to keep the system stable while repairs are underway.  

• When possible, we will notify customers of potential further outage needs. However, based on the situation, proactive updates are not always possible before a service interruption is put in place.

Until all permanent repairs are completed, there is a risk of additional customer outages.

• These controlled outages may be necessary to avoid further impact at the substation or larger outage events in the area.

• We will keep customers and stakeholders updated should additional outages occur.

Why will repairs take so long?

• The underground cables impacted by this incident are oil-filled and pressurized to help protect them from environmental impacts. When the initial equipment failure occurred, it created a hole in the cable.  

• This hole allowed water to enter the cable, impacting a long span of underground cable, stretching multiple blocks of 11th Street NW.  

• As a result, all of the impacted cable must be pulled from the manholes and be fully replaced.  

• When new cable is installed, crews will also have to complete multiple cable splices – a complex and time-consuming effort to join cables together. This includes:

• Stripping and preparing the cable ends,

• Aligning and connecting conductors using approved connectors and joint kits,

• Insulating and sealing the splice to protect against moisture, pressure, and electrical faults,

• And testing the splice to ensure integrity and performance.

• Cable splicing must be precise to avoid contamination and potential damage to the cables. Humidity, temperature, and cleanliness must be tightly regulated throughout the process.    

For customers who may experience an outage:

• We understand how disruptive these outages can be, particularly multiple outage events in just a few days, and appreciate your continued understanding and patience as crews work safely and as quickly as possible to make additional repairs.

• Customers should continue to check the company’s website at pepco.com/Outage or our mobile app for the latest estimates on when service will be restored. We will also provide updates on our social media channels.

• Customers also can call 1-877-PEPCO-62 to report an outage or for outage updates.  

We continue to monitor the power demand at the substation and encourage customers in the area to reduce electricity use if possible over the coming days. By reducing energy usage, customers can help manage further potential impacts in the area.

Here are some tips to help:  

• Turn it off: Turn off all unnecessary lighting and devices.  

• Manage your thermostat: Keep thermostats at a constant, comfortable level when at home. Raise/lower the thermostat setting for days of extreme heat/cold to save even more. Install a programmable thermostat to automatically adjust your home's temperature settings when you're away or sleeping.  

• Keep shades, blinds and curtains closed: About 40 percent of unwanted heat comes through windows. Simply closing blinds and curtains, which act as a layer of insulation, can reduce heat in your home.  

• Use appliances wisely: Run appliances that produce heat (like clothes dryers, ovens, and dishwashers) at night when it is cooler.  

• For more information on how to save energy and money visit pepco.com/SmartTips.

How to file a complaint:

If you’d like to file a complaint:

Contact Pepco customer service directly at 1-800-424-8028 or online or submit a damage claim here.

Contact the DC Public Service Commission at 202-626-5120 or online.

Contact the Office of the People’s Counsel at 202-727-3071 or online.

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