Potomac Electric Power Company
Encyclopedia
The Potomac Electric Power Company, known as Pepco, is a public utility
supplying electric power
to the city of Washington, D.C.
, and to surrounding communities in Maryland
. It has operated there since the 1920s.
The company's trademarked slogan, as of 2003, is "We're connected to you by more than power lines."
forced the North American Company
, the holding company
, to divest itself of either their streetcar operations or their power generating utility and as power generation was far more profitable, North American choose to divest itself of the transport entity.
In 2001, the company was reorganized and became a unit of Pepco Holdings, Inc.
in 2010 faulted Pepco for poor reliability. The report noted that the company's performance had slipped since 2005, comparing poorly to other major utilities in both the frequency and duration of power outage
s. Also, thousands of people lost power for as many as 5 days after only 5-8 inches of heavy wet snow.
Public utility
A public utility is an organization that maintains the infrastructure for a public service . Public utilities are subject to forms of public control and regulation ranging from local community-based groups to state-wide government monopolies...
supplying electric power
Electric power
Electric power is the rate at which electric energy is transferred by an electric circuit. The SI unit of power is the watt.-Circuits:Electric power, like mechanical power, is represented by the letter P in electrical equations...
to the city of Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, and to surrounding communities in Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
. It has operated there since the 1920s.
The company's trademarked slogan, as of 2003, is "We're connected to you by more than power lines."
History
Pepco was founded in the late 19th Century as a subsidiary of the Washington Traction and Electric Company, one of the private streetcar companies in Washington. Surplus power was then sold to other electric streetcar companies and to cable car companies so that they could convert to electricity. Later, the power was also sold to business and residential customers. The Public Utility Holding Company Act of 1935Public Utility Holding Company Act of 1935
The Public Utility Holding Company Act of 1935 , , also known as the Wheeler-Rayburn Act, was a law that was passed by the United States Congress to facilitate regulation of electric utilities, by either limiting their operations to a single state, and thus subjecting them to effective state...
forced the North American Company
North American Company
The North American Company was a holding company incorporated in New Jersey on June 14, 1890, and controlled by Henry Villard, to succeed to the assets and property of the Oregon and Transcontinental Company...
, the holding company
Holding company
A holding company is a company or firm that owns other companies' outstanding stock. It usually refers to a company which does not produce goods or services itself; rather, its purpose is to own shares of other companies. Holding companies allow the reduction of risk for the owners and can allow...
, to divest itself of either their streetcar operations or their power generating utility and as power generation was far more profitable, North American choose to divest itself of the transport entity.
In 2001, the company was reorganized and became a unit of Pepco Holdings, Inc.
Pepco Holdings
Pepco Holdings, Inc. is a holding company incorporated in February of 2001 for the purpose of effecting the acquisition of Conectiv Power Delivery by Potomac Electric Power Company . The acquisition was completed on August 1, 2002 at which time Pepco and Conectiv became wholly owned subsidiaries...
Transmission System
PEPCO's bulk transmission system consists of transmission lines operating at 115,000 volts, 230,000 volts and 500,000 volts. PEPCO has interconnections with Baltimore Gas and Electric and Dominion Virginia Power.Criticism
An investigation by The Washington PostThe Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
in 2010 faulted Pepco for poor reliability. The report noted that the company's performance had slipped since 2005, comparing poorly to other major utilities in both the frequency and duration of power outage
Power outage
A power outage is a short- or long-term loss of the electric power to an area.There are many causes of power failures in an electricity network...
s. Also, thousands of people lost power for as many as 5 days after only 5-8 inches of heavy wet snow.