Commonwealth Edison recently took steps to decrease power shortages for the northern DeKalb area by adding power lines near Twombly and Dresser Roads.

Edison’s recently completed electrical feeder line installation in DeKalb has increased the company’s distribution efficiency and the number of customers it can serve.

DeKalb District Manager Mario Fontana said the new 138,000-volt feeder line will be operational this week. Edison installed 6,000 feet of underground cable and 27,000 feet of overhead wire along Twombly and Dresser Roads to bring more power and provide better electrical service to DeKalb residents.

“DeKalb is growing and we’ve now increased the capacity of the total electrical load we can serve,” Fontana said. Also fewer customers will be served by each feeder line, so now there will be a decreased chance of voltage problems during periods of heavy electrical use.

Fontana said customers use more power during the hot summer months, and the new feeder line will help Edison to better handle the demand for electricity.

The new line is linked to the Annie Glidden and Twombly Road electrical substations, the company’s giant power transformation locations. The entire cost of the project was in excess of $212,000, only a part of the $2.1 billion Edison plans to spend on their distribution system over the next five years, Fontana said. Funding for the projects came from customer revenue.

Additionally, Fontana said the new feeder line will give Edison greater flexibility to switch customers from a non-functioning power line to other opperating lines during a power outage. “If we have a section of line that goes out and it can’t be repaired quickly, we can isolate the problem area and switch customers to another line,” Fontana said.