BALTIMORE (AP) - The chairman of the Maryland's Public Service Commission is asking utilities how they can avoid weeklong power outages after major storms, but utility officials say they can't tackle the kinds of problems they faced after this summer's derecho storm within 24 hours.
The PSC held a hearing in Baltimore on Thursday, and the panel heard first from Baltimore Gas and Electric.
Kenneth DeFontes, BGE's president and chief executive officer, says it would need to redesign its power system to restore power to hundreds of thousands within 24 hours after a storm of that magnitude.
Five power companies are scheduled to attend. They include the Potomac Electric Power Company, the Southern Maryland Electric Cooperative, Delmarva Power and Light Company and the Choptank Electric Cooperative.
