Baltimore Gas and Electric
A Maryland utility providing electricity and natural gas service across Baltimore and central Maryland.
Last updated October 14, 2026
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Overview
Baltimore Gas and Electric Company, commonly known as BGE, is a regulated electric and natural-gas utility headquartered in Baltimore, Maryland. It is the largest gas and electric utility in Maryland and operates as a subsidiary of Exelon Corporation. BGE serves more than 1.2 million electric customers and more than 650,000 natural-gas customers in central Maryland, including Baltimore City and portions of Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Calvert, Carroll, Harford, and Howard counties. The company employs approximately 3,100 people in Maryland, according to the referenced company profile. BGE traces its origins to the Gas Light Company of Baltimore, incorporated on June 17, 1816, by artist and museum operator Rembrandt Peale. The company was established after Peale demonstrated gas illumination at his Holliday Street museum. Its first streetlamp was lit at the intersection of North Holliday and East Baltimore streets on February 7, 1817. This early network made Baltimore an important site in the development of commercial gas lighting in the Americas. Adoption initially expanded gradually: only 28 gas lamps were operating by February 1818, while the Belvidere Theatre became the first public building in Baltimore to use gas lighting. Over subsequent decades, the company developed gas distribution, piping, metering, and related mechanical systems. Baltimore increasingly used gas in public facilities, and all city public markets had gas service by 1851. By 1870, the company had 15,301 Baltimore customers. The business later expanded from gas lighting into electric generation and distribution. In 1930, the company, then operating under the name Consolidated Gas Electric Light and Power Company of Baltimore, joined Pennsylvania Water & Power Company in creating Safe Harbor Water and Power Corporation. BGE held a two-thirds interest in that venture, which built the Safe Harbor Dam, lake, and generating plant in Pennsylvania. The facility became operational within two years and included seven generating units with total capacity of 230 megawatts. The company adopted the Baltimore Gas and Electric name in 1955. It began using the BGE acronym more visibly during the 1990s. In 1999, BGE created the holding company Constellation Energy. Constellation was acquired by Exelon in 2012, bringing BGE into Exelon's utility portfolio. Exelon's 2016 completion of the acquisition of Pepco Holdings also placed BGE under common corporate control with other major Maryland electric utilities, although BGE remained a distinct operating utility and brand. BGE's current business centers on regulated electricity delivery, natural-gas distribution, grid maintenance, emergency restoration, customer service, and programs intended to improve system efficiency and environmental performance. The company has participated in regional shared-crew networks and has dispatched personnel to assist with storm restoration beyond its own service territory. Its operations have been tested by major weather events, including the June 2012 derecho and Hurricane Sandy in October 2012. Following Sandy, BGE reported restoring service to more than 300,000 customers. The company has also pursued grid modernization. Beginning in 2012, it replaced conventional analog electric meters with smart meters. A request to recover the full installation cost through rates was not fully approved by the Maryland Public Service Commission in 2016. BGE has proposed microgrids that could continue supplying localized areas during larger disruptions, but the Commission rejected the company's microgrid construction request in July 2016. Alongside its core utility functions, BGE runs environmental and community initiatives, including Green Grants for central Maryland nonprofit organizations and an osprey-nest protection program designed to reduce conflicts between birds and electrical equipment. BGE remains an active, regulated Maryland utility whose identity is closely associated with Baltimore's long…
History
BGE began as the Gas Light Company of Baltimore, incorporated on June 17, 1816, by Rembrandt Peale. Peale had demonstrated gas lighting at his Holliday Street museum, helping create local interest in a technology that could illuminate streets and public buildings more consistently than earlier methods. The company's first streetlamp was lit on February 7, 1817, at North Holliday and East Baltimore streets. By February 1818, the network contained only 28 gas lamps, but the undertaking established Baltimore as an early center of commercial gas lighting in the Americas. The initial business depended on expanding public and private acceptance of piped gas. The Belvidere Theatre became the first public building in Baltimore to use gas illumination. The company experimented with distribution pipes, meters, and other mechanical systems as it developed a practical urban network. Municipal use grew steadily: Baltimore had extended gas service to all of its public markets by 1851. Private subscriptions also increased, and the company reported 15,301 Baltimore customers by 1870. During the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the company evolved beyond its original gas-lighting role as electricity became increasingly important. It eventually operated as the Consolidated Gas Electric Light and Power Company of Baltimore. In 1930, that company and Pennsylvania Water & Power Company established Safe Harbor Water and Power Corporation to develop the Safe Harbor Dam and associated generating facilities. BGE held a two-thirds share of the venture. The dam, lake, and generating plant were completed and placed in service within two years. Seven generating units provided a combined capacity of 230 megawatts, and the project represented a major expansion of the company's relationship with electric generation. In 1955, the business adopted the Baltimore Gas and Electric name. The BGE acronym became more prominent during the 1990s. In 1999, BGE created the Constellation Energy holding company. Constellation was subsequently acquired by Exelon in 2012, making BGE an Exelon subsidiary. Exelon's acquisition of Pepco Holdings, completed in 2016 after regulatory approval, placed BGE under common corporate control with other large Maryland electric utilities. BGE's modern operations focus primarily on regulated distribution rather than a simple gas-lighting or generation model. The company serves electricity customers in Baltimore City and several central Maryland counties, while its natural-gas territory covers a substantial customer base in the same general region. It maintains electric and gas infrastructure, responds to service interruptions, and participates in shared-crew arrangements that allow utilities to assist one another after severe weather. The June 2012 derecho and Hurricane Sandy later that year produced major regional outages; after Sandy, BGE reported restoring more than 300,000 customers. The company has invested in modernization and resilience initiatives. In 2012 it began replacing analog electricity meters with smart meters. The Maryland Public Service Commission later approved only part of the requested rate recovery for the reported $48 million smart-meter installation cost. BGE also sought authorization to build microgrids that could operate independently from the centralized grid during major outages, but the Commission rejected that request in July 2016. The company has continued to combine utility infrastructure work with community programs. Its Green Grants initiative provides awards of up to $10,000 to environmental nonprofits in central Maryland, and the company reported distributing more than $1 million through the program since 2013. In 2015, it established an osprey-nest reporting and protection program for nests near electrical equipment. BGE has also faced scrutiny over infrastructure safety. After a 2019 gas explosion destroyed a 57,000-square-foot commercial building in Columbia, Maryland, a Maryland Public Service Commission staff report concluded that BGE had failed to provide for safe operation and maintenance of the relevant facilities. In August 2020, another gas explosion in Baltimore's Reisterstown Station area destroyed three homes, killed two people, and injured seven. BGE representatives said at the time that the cause was unknown. These incidents have made gas-system safety and regulatory oversight important parts of the company's public profile.
- 2020
Reisterstown Station gas explosion
[1]A gas explosion destroyed three homes, killed two people, and injured seven in Baltimore.
- 2016
Pepco Holdings acquisition completed by Exelon
[1]Exelon completed its acquisition of Pepco Holdings, placing BGE under common control with other major Maryland utilities.
- 2015
Osprey nest protection program launched
[1]BGE introduced a customer-reporting program for osprey nests near electrical lines.
- 2012
Constellation acquired by Exelon
[1]Exelon acquired Constellation Energy, bringing BGE into the Exelon group.
- 2012
Smart-meter rollout begins
[1]BGE began replacing analog electric meters with smart meters.
- 1999
Constellation Energy holding company created
[1]BGE created the Constellation Energy holding company.
- 1955
Company adopts Baltimore Gas and Electric name
[1]The company changed its name to Baltimore Gas and Electric.
- 1932
Safe Harbor generating project enters operation
[1]The dam, lake, and generating plant were completed and placed in service with seven units totaling 230 megawatts.
- 1930
Safe Harbor power venture established
[1]BGE and Pennsylvania Water & Power Company formed Safe Harbor Water and Power Corporation to develop the Safe Harbor project.
- 1870
Customer base reaches 15,301
[1]The gas company reported 15,301 customers in Baltimore.
Products and positioning
A large, locally rooted and regulated Maryland utility combining electricity distribution, natural-gas service, infrastructure modernization, emergency restoration, and community environmental programs under Exelon ownership.
Utility service
Electricity distribution
BGE delivers electricity to more than 1.2 million customers in Baltimore City and central Maryland. The service includes operation and maintenance of distribution infrastructure, outage response, storm restoration, customer metering, and grid-modernization work. BGE's territory covers Baltimore City and portions of Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Calvert, Carroll, Harford, and Howard counties.
Utility service
Natural gas distribution
BGE distributes natural gas to more than 650,000 customers in central Maryland. The offering includes operation and maintenance of gas distribution facilities, customer connections, emergency response, and safety-related infrastructure work. Gas-system safety has been a significant regulatory and public issue following reported explosions in Maryland.
Grid technology · 2012
Smart meters
Beginning in 2012, BGE replaced analog electric meters with smart meters. The program was intended to support a more modern and potentially less expensive electricity grid. BGE sought rate recovery for installation costs, but Maryland regulators approved only part of the amount requested.
Resilience infrastructure · 2016
Microgrid proposal
BGE proposed constructing and operating microgrids that could generate and distribute electricity locally during major interruptions to the centralized grid. The Maryland Public Service Commission rejected the construction request in July 2016, so this remained a proposed initiative rather than an operating BGE service.
Controversies
2021
Terry James sues BGE over Baltimore gas explosion
Terry James filed a lawsuit against Baltimore Gas & Electric and the city, claiming they were responsible for the August gas explosion. BGE said it does not comment on the merits of pending litigation and stated its equipment was safe and did not cause the explosion.
2020
Reisterstown Station natural-gas explosion
On August 10, 2020, an explosion on Labyrinth Road in Baltimore's Reisterstown Station area destroyed three homes, killed two people, and injured seven. BGE representatives said the cause was unknown at the time described in the reference material.
2019
Regulatory criticism after Columbia gas explosion
After a gas explosion destroyed a 57,000-square-foot commercial building in Columbia, Maryland, staff of the Maryland Public Service Commission concluded that BGE had failed to provide for the safe operation and maintenance of the relevant facilities.
Marketing campaigns
- 2016Bicentennial community and public-art activities
Baltimore
For its bicentennial, BGE added decorative murals to three large storage tanks at its Spring Gardens campus in south Baltimore and partnered with the Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation to construct Eddie Murray Field in west Baltimore.
Outcome. Local public-art and community-investment projects
- 2015Osprey nest reporting and protection program
Central Maryland
Customers can report osprey nests located on or near electrical lines. BGE can insulate equipment or relocate nests to dedicated platforms to reduce risks to birds and the electrical system. The program identified 23 nests during its first year.
Outcome. Nest relocation and electrical-equipment protection
- 2013Green Grants
Central Maryland
BGE provides grants of up to $10,000 to environmental nonprofits working on activities such as Chesapeake Bay stewardship, stream and water-quality projects, tree-canopy expansion, recycling, habitat creation, neighborhood beautification, and environmental education. The company reported awarding more than $1 million through the program since 2013.
Outcome. Ongoing community and environmental grant program
Brand decisions
2016
Seek recovery of smart-meter installation costsPrice changeBackground
BGE requested recovery of the reported $48 million cost of installing smart meters.
Action taken
The Maryland Public Service Commission approved only about half of the requested recovery and authorized a $2.80 rate increase.
Aftermath
The increase took effect in June 2016, with the referenced material reporting an average monthly electric bill of $134.33 afterward.
Average monthly electric bill. $134.33 (June 2016 after authorized increase)
2016
Seek approval for utility microgridsStrategyBackground
BGE proposed microgrids as a way to maintain localized electricity service during larger outages affecting the centralized grid.
Action taken
The company requested authorization to construct and operate microgrids.
Aftermath
The Maryland Public Service Commission rejected the request in July 2016.
2015
Challenge Baltimore conduit-fee increaseOtherBackground
Baltimore sought to increase the fee BGE paid to use the city's underground conduit system.
Action taken
BGE filed a lawsuit against the city in October 2015.
Aftermath
The parties settled in November 2016, with BGE accepting an annual conduit charge of $24 million.
Annual underground-conduit fee. $24 million per year (Settlement reached in November 2016)
2012
Begin electric smart-meter deploymentStrategyBackground
BGE sought to modernize its electricity grid and reduce the long-term cost of operating the metering system.
Action taken
The company began replacing analog electric meters with smart meters.
Aftermath
BGE later sought regulatory recovery of installation costs through customer rates.
Recent events
- 2016
Maryland regulators partially approve BGE smart-meter cost recovery[1]
Regulation · Pricing
The Maryland Public Service Commission rejected BGE's request to recover the full reported cost of smart-meter installation, approving an increase equal to roughly half of the requested amount.
- 2016
Maryland commission rejects BGE microgrid proposal[1]
Regulation · Other
The Maryland Public Service Commission rejected BGE's request to construct and operate microgrids capable of serving localized areas during larger outages.
- 2016
BGE and Baltimore settle underground conduit dispute[1]
Lawsuit · Pricing
BGE and the City of Baltimore settled the conduit-fee lawsuit. Under the settlement, BGE accepted an annual charge of $24 million for use of the city's 741-mile underground conduit system.
- 2015
BGE launches osprey nest reporting and protection program[1]
Campaign
BGE introduced a program allowing customers to report osprey nests on or near electrical lines. The company can insulate equipment or move nests to dedicated platforms; 23 nests were identified during the program's first year.
- 2015
BGE sues Baltimore over underground conduit fees[1]
Lawsuit
BGE filed suit over the City of Baltimore's attempt to increase the fee charged for use of the municipal underground conduit system.
- 2012
BGE begins replacing analog electric meters with smart meters[1]
Product launch · Other
BGE began a program to replace traditional analog electric meters with smart meters as part of a broader effort to modernize the electricity grid and reduce long-term system costs.
- 2012
BGE restores more than 300,000 customers after Hurricane Sandy[1]
Other
Following Hurricane Sandy, BGE reported restoring electricity to more than 300,000 customers. The response formed part of the company's broader participation in regional shared-crew networks.
Sources4 sources
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