Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1957-01-04
Area Utilities Will Spend
$90AiIIionf for Expansion

Major public utilities COM
panies of the Washington area
expect to spend around $50 mil
lion for expansion of facilities to
meet continued growth this year,
year-end statements indicated.
The outlay in 1856 was around
$326 million.
After spending $34 million Iii
1856 to raise its l0-year total to
more than SITS million. Poto-
mac Electric Power Co. has
mapped a $50 million program
for 1857 and 1858. A breakdown
between the two years will de-
pend on coming events, but the
1857 area total above includes
an estimate of $33 million for
PEPCO.
Washington Gas Light Co. ex-
poets to spend 1924 million for
new facilities in 1857, compared
with $l3.5 million in 1856. The
company has invested more than
$54 million in the last five years.
Chesapeake & Potomac Tele-
phone Co. plans to spend S42
million for additional area ia
cilities in 1857. compared with
SAL million in 1856.
Virginia Electric & Power Co.,
which serves nearby Virginia
sections Of the area, will spend
around $2.5 million in the area,
compared with 81 million in
1856.
PEPCO Has Notable Year
President R. Roy Dunn of
PEPCO said his company had
another notable year in 1856
with construction expenditures
at an all-time high, substantial
gains in kilowatt-hour sales and
an improvement in earnings.
Sales aggregated 3.377 900, 900
kilowatt-hours. an increase of
around 6.5 per cent from 1855.
Residential sales were UP 10 per
cent as result of $500 new
residential customers and in
creased use of electricity in the
home. Low voltage commercial
sales rose rs per cent. with air
conditioning and modernization
of lighting contributing to the
gain.
PEPCO earned around Sl.49 a
share on 5.910.135 outstanding
common shares in 1856, COM
pared with SLAB a share on s.
628.700 shares in 1855, Mr.. Dunn
estimated. Common stock divi-
dends of S1.10 a share were paid.
compared with 81 share in 1856.
A new peak load of 863.000
kilowatts was recorded by the
PEPCO system on August 81, an
increase of 6.5 per cent from the
1855 peak of $4,000 kilowatts.
Another 1903, 900 kilowatts of gen.
Grating capacity was put into
service at Potomac River Station
in February and still another
turbo-generator of 100000 kilo-
watts is nearing completion at
the same point. The company
hopes to start work on new
steam generating station in
Montgomery County in the near
future.
During the year. the company
sold $40 million of first mortgage
bonds and obtained around SIS
million from sale of common
stock. Mr.. Dunn expressed opti-
miSm on the company's outlook
for this year.
Gas Sales Set Record
Sales of Washington Gas Light
set a new record of 1858 million
therms in 1856, with gain of
II per cent from the previous
year. and its customers also
reached new high mark Of
more than $4,000, with a gain
of $4,000 from year eaI:1r.
President Everett j. Boothby
pointed out that sales Of the l08-
year-old company have more
than trebled in the last 10 years.
To accomplish these results, sus-
tanned promotional efforts and
large investments in facilities
have been necessary. he declared.
A substantial 1856 construc-
ton item was new 24-inch
transmission line extending 80
miles from Dranesville. Va. to
Hybla Valley. he said. The line
will add strength to the entire
area system.
Available information indicates
that construction of new homes
and other eXpansian in the area
will be only slig htly less in
1857 than in 1856 and there
fore is planning another sub
stantial construction program,
Mr. Boothby reported.
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