PJM celebrates 90th anniversary
Industry partners, state rep. help PJM celebrate 90th anniversary
LOWER PROVIDENCE» Thomas Edison would undoubtedly be proud.
Invoking the name of the famous inventor, Robert Powelson of the Federal Energy Regulatory System praised PJM (Pennsylvania-New Jersey-Maryland) Interconnection, an independent regional transmission organization that coordinates the movement of wholesale electricity in 13 states, including Pennsylvania.
The occasion was the company’s 90th anniversary celebration, held at the PJM headquarters in Audubon on Friday.
The Federal Energy Regulatory System was one of several partners that offered congratulations and kudos to the firm that runs the high-voltage show for more than 65 million people.
“I think it’s fair to say if Thomas Edison were here today he’d say, ‘Job well done,’” noted Powelson, referring to the inventor of the electric light bulb, among other essentials of modern life.
Thirteen states, 65 million customers, 187,000 megawatts, $30 billion in sales per year are all part of the complex flow of energy correlated by PJM, Powelson pointed out.
“By all reasonable benchmarks this is a wonderful opportunity to showcase the work that PJM has done since 1927,” he said. “Today the power system as we know it is one that is embedded in things like market to market coordination, ancillary services, demand response, transmission planning and enhanced pricing models to ensure long term reliability. In the world of PJM … we plan, we test, we model, we execute for 65 million customers served in a 13-state footprint. PJM, you make the Federal Energy Regulatory System look good in spite of ourselves.”
An admitted history buff, Denis O’Brien, senior executive vice president of Exelon Corp., offered a glimpse into PJM’s history for the crowd.
“In 1927 Public Service Electric and Gas Co., Pennsylvania Power and Light and Philadelphia Electric created a new and innovative way to serve our customers’ increasing electric demands,” said O’Brien, who presented PJM CEO Andrew Ott with a framed anniversary Crown Lights photo from PECO. “These three companies would become pioneers of coordinated system operations as they founded one of the nation’s first interchange organizations. On behalf of PECO I am very proud of our role in the creation, management and growth of PJM.”
For nearly 70 years PJM was staffed and managed by PECO employees, O’Brien noted. “There are many at PECO and Exelon who had the opportunity to gain valuable experience working at PJM. And thanks to their great training at PJM these individuals have gone to climb the ranks at Exelon and to take critical roles. Ninety years ago,” O’Brien added, “PJM was the result of a great idea by three companies to serve hundreds of thousands of customers in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Today PJM represents the largest energy transaction (company) in the world. And it will be exciting to see how it continues to grow.”
PPL Corp. CEO Bill Spence said he was proud of his company’s role in creating PJM 90 years ago.
“Like PPL, which was founded in 1920, PJM was born at a really critical time in the American electric facilities industry. America was just beginning to move from a patchwork of privately owned, isolated lighting companies to a more coordinated network of regional facilities power plant and transmission lines,” Spence said. “PJM and its founders helped to drive a big part of that change, expanding to meet the demand of rapid industrial growth, powering progress across the country and helping to improve the quality of life not only then for many years to come.
“Today, nearly a century after PJM’s founding, it’s hard to imagine life without the electricity that we provide. It powers devices to help diagnose injury and illness, ultimately saving lives. It powers American businesses that are engines of innovation, not only for us but for the world.”
Gladys Brown of the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission pointed out that, in addition to the 90th anniversary milestone, PJM was celebrating 20 years as
a federally recognized independent grid operator.
“We’re excited to be here today as part of the network that provides reliable and cost-effective service to 65 million people in all or part of 13 states, as well as the District of Columbia,” she said. “We know that PJM was the nation’s first power grid, and those of us that are part of PJM, we know that you are the best. We celebrate with you in so different many ways. We know that along the way your hard work has not only ensured steady service to our residences and businesses but also helped pave the way for another fundamental shift in our power grid, and that is the move to retail competition. We in Pennsylvania are proud to be the birthplace and the home state of PJM and pray that you continue to stay here.”
U.S. Rep. Ryan Costello, R-6, told the crowd that since being elected to Congress he has become more cognizant to how the electricity sector works.
“It has taken on a much more complicated, sophisticated engaged sense of understanding,” he said. “From a national energy policy perspective, a secure, safe reliable, efficient grid is critical for the future of our country. You are out front in terms of innovation and wrestling with the complexities and the challenges that RTOs face. Working to perfect the flow of energy is more than just a slogan for PJM.
“It’s an extremely important mission for our country to get that right.”