By Lisa Rein
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, May 30, 2008

Maryland power companies, businesses and labor groups announced yesterday that they are banding together to push for new electricity supplies to prevent rolling brownouts.

The founders of Marylanders for Reliable Power say few consumers are aware that the region's soaring demand for power, coupled with limited supply, will continue to make the state vulnerable to power shortages that could lead to brownouts in three years.

They said they hope to put pressure on policymakers to approve new transmission lines, speed up approvals for power plants and renewable-energy projects and encourage conservation.

"Our goal is to raise public awareness about the need for reliable power," said H. Russell Frisby Jr., an energy lawyer and former chairman of the Public Service Commission.

He said the Annapolis-based coalition hopes to provide a counterweight to local opposition to new power plants and transmission lines "by making people aware of the need for more power."

The announcement came as Baltimore Gas and Electric announced that the 1.2 million customers it serves in the Washington-Baltimore suburbs will receive a $170 credit on their September bills.

The credit is the linchpin of a settlement reached this spring between the administration of Gov. Martin O'Malley (D) and Constellation Energy Group, BGE's parent company, to address rising prices. The deal also virtually eliminates customer liability for decommissioning the Calvert Cliffs nuclear plant.

Among the biggest problems facing utilities is the region's bottlenecked transmission grid, which forces Maryland to import more than 30 percent of its electricity from other states, energy experts say.

State regulators have predicted severe power shortages on hot days if demand is not curbed or supply boosted.

"Really, this is about jobs," said Kathleen T. Snyder, president of the Maryland Chamber of Commerce, a member of the new coalition. "How many of us could survive an hour or six hours without electricity? The prospect of blackouts in three years is terrifying."

The legislature approved a package of bills that force utilities to offer customers incentives to use less power. But experts say reducing demand is not enough.

Power companies have proposed building several high-voltage transmission lines to feed power to the region, some that would cross into Maryland, others that would skirt the state. The most controversial would cut through farmland in Northern Virginia; it is being considered by Virginia regulators.

"We want to give the other side of the story, when we're hearing nothing but opposing points of view," said Donald C. Fry, president of the Greater Baltimore Committee, a coalition member that represents Baltimore area businesses.