There was the Community Scholars Program, which helped community residents continue their education during the pandemic. And then there was the Sustainable Communities Grant Program, which supported local open space and resiliency projects.
And then there was the Competitive Edge Program, an initiative in which Atlantic City Electric partners with others in the area in an effort to create a pipeline of local Atlantic City talent.
These are not the top programs you might necessarily associate with a utility — which is just one of the reasons they were highlighted when Atlantic City Electric released its 2020 Responsibility and Impact Report outlining the company’s efforts to support the advancement of the southern New Jersey communities it serves.
The inaugural report, themed “What Drives Us,” highlights Atlantic City Electric’s support for organizations and efforts that advance environmental sustainability, combat climate change, build resilience, drive equity, educate youth, create pathways to careers in the energy field and many other initiatives that help Atlantic City Electric achieve its commitment of powering a cleaner and brighter future for its customers and communities.
The report details the impact of Atlantic City Electric, Delaware-based Delmarva Power and Washington, D.C.-based Pepco.
Pepco Holdings CEO Dave Velazquez said making such connections with customers and the community is key.
“We have a connection to the customers and communities we serve — a literal connection through the energy services we deliver, but also a deeper connection through our roots in our local communities,” he said. “We’re uniquely positioned to help our customers, employees and communities tackle the big issues and to partner with a variety of organizations and entities to help identify the most promising solutions.
“This report captures the important and impactful results of these efforts, but there is so much more to do.”
Joe Jingoli, CEO of Jingoli Power, said his group is grateful for the opportunity to collaborate.
“We are pleased to introduce our Competitive Edge program to Atlantic City Electric to support the work associated with the Atlantic City/Brigantine Community Reliability Project,” he said. “A group of young men and women from Atlantic City will participate in our 12-week, Train to Hire program, where they will listen, learn and interact with various professionals and experts who will introduce them to potential career paths associated with this type of project.”
Atlantic City Electric is a unit of Exelon Corp., which has approximately 10 million customers nationwide. Atlantic City Electric has approximately 560,000 customers in southern New Jersey.
Its other community efforts include:
- Launching the New Jersey Student Climate Challenge: supporting youth in addressing the climate crisis;
- Providing careers while modernizing the grid with the South Jersey Utility Training Program;
- Elevating the approach to habitat preservation through helicopter habitat protection.
Velazquez said there will be more.
“As we look to the future, we’re going to keep pushing to do big things,” he said. “Fight climate change. Reduce local air pollution. Preserve and restore our waterways and habitats. Modernize our grid to make it smarter, stronger and cleaner and be the platform for the future. Find new and better ways to serve our customers. Provide our employees with an inclusive work environment while making our communities equitable and local economies stronger. This is what drives us.”
