Del. Electric Co-op Sets New Record For Reliability In 2021

Delaware Electric Cooperative had its most reliable year ever in 2021.

The member-owned utility said Wednesday that through the year there were fewer outages, and those that occurred were restored efficiently. The average outage in 2021 lasted 53 minutes, down from the previous best of 69 minutes in 2019.

According to the Co-op, careful planning by engineers has made it possible to keep outages to a minimum. Trees and vegetation are periodically trimmed around power lines, and lines and equipment are constantly inspected and tested.

“There’s a lot that we are currently doing to ensure excellent service to members. We’re making sure DEC has the manpower, financial resources and advanced technology for our team to continue down the path of reliability and improvement,” CEO Greg Starheim says.

Advanced automated devices on DEC’s distribution system can sense issues on the lines and, in some cases, automatically restore power. Supervisors are also able to remotely operate advanced equipment in the field, isolating parts of the system experiencing problems and redirecting electricity to areas where members are in the dark.

Delaware Electric Cooperative is a member-owned not-for-profit utility powering more than 108,000 homes, farms and businesses in Kent and Sussex Counties. For more information, visit DEC on the web at www.delaware.coop