PECO has energized the first of five new distribution circuits from its new $22 million electric distribution substation that will meet the needs of the former Navy Yard and serve parts of South Philadelphia.

The Southwark substation was completed after nearly three years of planning, engineering design and construction. The facility will relieve electric load on other substations in the area and ensure reliability for the growing electric demand in the southeastern quadrant of the city. It takes 69-kilvolt (kv) electricity from the electric transmission system and converts the energy into lower voltage for local distribution to homes, businesses and other customers in the area.

PECO said Southwark is the third of four new electric substations under development to modernize the electric infrastructure and meet increasing demand in certain sections of the city. The company built the Tuna substation along North Delaware Avenue in 2005 and completed the Waverly substation in Center City in the spring of 2007. The fourth major investment will boost electric supply for the University City and West Philadelphia area, planned for completion in 2009. These projects alone represent a $120 million investment in the Philadelphia electric distribution system. Substations are hubs for local power supply, tapping into high-voltage transmission lines on the regional grid and delivering electricity on local distribution circuits.

"This project will benefit thousands of PECO customers with reliable electric service this summer and for years to come. It was a high priority for the company during the past two years," said Craig Adams, PECO senior vice president and chief operating officer.

PECO is working on roughly 80 projects across the region as part of its summer readiness program. These projects will expand capacity and relieve electric load on existing equipment in certain areas experiencing growth, deploy distribution automation and other new technology, and improve performance on the company's 2,300 distribution circuits that deliver power to 1.6 million customers in southeastern Pennsylvania. The capacity expansion projects represent about one-third of PECO's $394 million capital investments for this year. Other aspects of the summer readiness program include wide-ranging system maintenance, circuit patrols, and emergency planning.