PSE&G wins award for increasing reliability in the face of extreme weather

NEWARK, NJ — The Edison Electric Institute named PSE&G the recipient of the 2022 Edison Award, the electric utility industry’s highest honor, in recognition of its industry-leading efforts to protect New Jersey communities and customers from extreme weather conditions. 

The award is presented annually by EEI and recognizes electric utilities for their innovation and contribution to advancing the industry. The selection panel comprised former electric utility chief executive officers. 

PSE&G was “recognized for initiatives that set a new benchmark for modernizing utility infrastructure,” according to a press release. Specifically, in the years following Superstorm Sandy, the company launched an infrastructure modernization program to fortify New Jersey’s electric and natural gas systems against future storms, with even more investment planned in future phases.

 “We are honored and grateful for this recognition and proud of our efforts to serve 2.3 million customers and enhance their lives and businesses by making our distribution systems more resilient in the face of increasingly extreme weather events,” PSE&G President and COO Kim Hanemann said. “Climate change has made fortifying New Jersey’s energy infrastructure imperative. The benefits of this initiative were clear last fall when Tropical Storm Ida hit New Jersey hard, but significantly fewer customers lost power than during previous intense storms.”

This is the third time in PSE&G’s 119-year history that the utility has received the Edison Award.

“Delivering resilient clean energy to our customers and to our communities always is the top priority for EEI and for our member companies,” EEI President Tom Kuhn said. “After Superstorm Sandy hit a decade ago, PSE&G’s forward-thinking Energy Strong program, has reinforced its commitment to making the investments needed to enhance energy grid reliability and resilience. PSE&G is exceptionally deserving of this prestigious recognition, and I congratulate them for being named this year’s Edison Award winner.”