Baltimore Gas and Electric Company Restores Electric Service to More than 120,000 Customers Following Sunday’s Severe Storms

Baltimore Gas and Electric Company (BGE), today announced that it continues to aggressively restore service to customers affected by Sunday’s strong and violent storms. The utility has already restored service to more than 120,000 customers in less than 48 hours and remains on track to restore vast majority of remaining customers by late this evening. Most of the power outages were due to whole trees and tree limbs falling onto power lines and other electric equipment. Although BGE’s entire Central Maryland service area experienced outages, the hardest hit areas were Anne Arundel and Prince George’s Counties.

"With assistance from Southern Maryland, Kentucky, Tennessee, Ohio, Connecticut and North Carolina, BGE and its contractors have been working around-the-clock since Sunday afternoon to restore service to our customers as safely and as quickly as possible," said A. Christopher Burton, senior vice president of gas and electric operations and planning for BGE. "BGE pre-mobilized and pre-positioned key personnel in advance of the storm to ensure we were ready to begin restoring power as soon as it was safe to do so. Our employees have been working tirelessly and will continue to do so until all customers have had their power restored. That said, we recognize that some of our customers have been out of service for an extended period of time and we thank them for their continued patience and understanding."

The safety of BGE’s customers and employees is always the utility’s top priority. Customers should avoid downed power lines and report them immediately by calling 1-877-778-2222. Customers should also call this number to report power outages where downed wires are not apparent. Only qualified BGE personnel or contractors are authorized to remove debris from power lines. Customers should never approach downed wires for any reason.

Just as BGE proactively prepares for storms, customers are strongly encouraged to also be ready for power outages. The best way for customers to prepare is by creating a storm kit to have on hand should they experience a power outage. The following items should be included in the kit:

• Flashlights – not candles

• Fresh batteries

• Battery-operated clock radio

• Corded telephone

• Fully charged cell phone

• Non-perishable food

• Blankets

Customers should also consider filling the fuel tanks of their vehicles in the event a power outage affects service to neighborhood gas stations. For customers who rely on well water, filling a bathtub with water in advance of an approaching storm is strongly recommended. Customers should also make sure smoke detectors have battery backups and are operating properly and remember to unplug or turn off sensitive electronic equipment and appliances in advance of severe weather.

Additionally, customers with special needs such as those who may be elderly, handicapped or dependent on electricity for medical equipment, should have alternative arrangements in place should they experience an extended power outage. Additional important information on storm preparedness can be found in the Storm Safety section of www.bge.com.

Once service restoration begins, BGE’s priorities are public safety issues and critical facilities, such as pumping stations, 911 centers and hospitals. Then restoration is generally scheduled so that the greatest number of customers can be restored as quickly and as safely as possible. However, in cases of extended power outages, consideration is also given to customers who have been without service for the longest.

BGE, headquartered in Baltimore, is Maryland’s largest gas and electric utility, delivering power to more than 1.2 million electric customers and more than 640,000 natural gas customers in Central Maryland. The company’s approximately 3,000 employees are committed to the safe and reliable delivery of gas and electricity, as well as enhanced energy management, conservation, environmental stewardship and community assistance. BGE is a subsidiary of Constellation Energy, a FORTUNE 500 company also headquartered in Baltimore, with subsidiaries that generate, sell and provide other energy-related services to customers throughout North America.