Overview
- The Baltimore Board of Estimates voted Wednesday to terminate the 2023 agreement with Baltimore Gas & Electric and set a new conduit rent of $4.05 per linear foot effective Jan. 1, 2027.
- City officials say the nearly doubled fee will fund proactive manhole rehabilitation, more inspection and monitoring technology, and a conduit division inside the Department of Transportation to run the system.
- BGE opposes the decision and warned that the company may seek to recover added costs in its active rate case, estimating roughly $1 to $2 more per month for the average customer and warning of a scenario that could raise Baltimore-only bills by about $10.
- Because BGE is a regulated utility, the Maryland Public Service Commission will decide whether and how any conduit-related expense can be passed on to customers, leaving net consumer impact unresolved.
- The conduit network runs about 700 miles and serves roughly 37 tenants with BGE occupying about 76 percent of leased footage, and the city cited aging infrastructure and underground fires as reasons for moving to direct control.