BGE continues to modernize the natural gas system serving customers in central Maryland, replacing more than 52 miles of gas mains in the first two full years under the company’s Strategic Infrastructure Development and Enhancement (STRIDE) plan. Another 45 miles of gas mains are projected to be replaced by BGE this year. BGE accelerated the pace of replacement of gas equipment following passage of Maryland’s STRIDE law in 2013 and the Maryland Public Service Commission’s approval of BGE’s accelerated plan in March 2014.

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A new gas main is installed as part of Baltimore Gas and Electric's STRIDE natural gas infrastructur ...

A new gas main is installed as part of Baltimore Gas and Electric's STRIDE natural gas infrastructure modernization program. (Photo: Business Wire)

“Our commitment to serving customers with a safe and reliable natural gas system includes a major modernization initiative to install durable new natural gas pipes in communities throughout central Maryland,” said Stephen J. Woerner, president and chief operating officer of BGE. “Our STRIDE plan enables us to begin work on more streets and neighborhoods and increase the number of gas mains we systematically and proactively replace.”

STRIDE allows gas utilities to recover some costs of pipeline modernization work as the work is being done, making it possible to replace more aging equipment sooner. BGE invested more than $145 million (about $55 million in 2014 and $90 million in 2015) and is projecting the 2016 investment to be approximately $113 million.

BGE’s 2016 STRIDE plan includes 63 separate projects ranging from BGE Operation Pipeline projects that proactively upgrade whole neighborhood gas systems, to projects replacing gas mains along single streets. The plan also includes area-wide programs to replace thousands of service and riser pipes that connect customers’ gas meters to the gas mains. Nearly 12,000 service pipes and risers were addressed in the first two years of the program, with nearly 8,000 additional services included in the program in 2016.

STRIDE projects are located throughout central Maryland, including Baltimore City, Baltimore County, Anne Arundel County, Harford County, Prince George’s County, Carroll County and Howard County. Maps of Operation Pipeline neighborhood-wide gas system upgrade projects are available at bge.com/OperationPipeline.

Natural gas infrastructure modernization has a positive economic development impact for the regional economy and workforce. More than 700 gas infrastructure modernization jobs have been created across Maryland since implementation of STRIDE.

Modernizing the natural gas system in central Maryland and investing in infrastructure are some of the many ways BGE is working to move smart energy forward. Safe and reliable energy is smart energy. For more information on BGE’s STRIDE program, visit bge.com/gasprojectupdate.

BGE, founded in 1816 as the nation’s first gas utility, is Maryland’s largest natural gas and electric utility. Headquartered in Baltimore, BGE delivers power to more than 1.25 million electric customers and more than 650,000 natural gas customers in central Maryland. The company’s approximately 3,200 employees are committed to the safe and reliable delivery of natural gas and electricity, as well as enhanced energy management, conservation, environmental stewardship and community assistance. BGE is a subsidiary of Exelon Corporation (NYSE: EXC), the nation’s leading competitive energy provider. Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter, YouTube and Flickr.