Potomac Electric Power Company
Logo of the Potomac Electric Power Company
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| Founded | 1896 |
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Area served
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Washington, D.C. metropolitan area |
| Products | Electric power |
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Number of employees
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1,429 |
| Parent | Exelon |
| Website | pepco |
The Potomac Electric Power Company (PEPCO), also known as Pepco, is a public utility owned by Exelon that supplies electric power to the city of Washington, D.C. and to surrounding communities in Maryland. It has operated there since the 1920s and was incorporated in 1896.
The company's current trademarked slogan is "Your life. Plugged in." Its former slogan was "We're connected to you by more than power lines."
Pepco, an acronym of Potomac Electric Power Company, 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 sold to business and residential customers.
The Public Utility Holding Company Act of 1935 forced the North American Company, the holding company, to divest itself of either their streetcar operations or their power generating utility. 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's bulk transmission system consists of transmission lines operating at 115 kV, 138kV, 230 kV and 500 kV. Pepco has interconnections with Potomac Edison (230kV, 500kV), Baltimore Gas and Electric Co. (500kV, 230kV, 115kV), and Dominion Virginia Power (500kV, 230kV).
In April 2014 Pepco Holdings Inc. (PHI), Washington, D.C.-based parent company of Atlantic City Electric, Delmarva Power, and Pepco announced a $6.8 billion merger with Exelon, a Chicago-based utility company. A December 18, 2014 article in The Washington Post highlighted opposition by the public to the merger with Exelon, arguing that it would not be in the best interest of consumers, that it was likely to result in higher prices to District of Columbia Pepco customers and even worse reliability.
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