FAIRMONT, W.Va., July 19, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Mon Power, a
subsidiary of FirstEnergy Corp. (NYSE: FE), is using two
helicopters equipped with aerial saws to trim trees and maintain
electrical clearances along eight difficult-to-access transmission
line corridors in West Virginia.
The work is scheduled to begin in mid-July and is expected to
conclude by September.
Maintaining proper clearances around transmission lines and
electrical equipment can help reduce the frequency and duration of
tree-related power outages, especially those associated with severe
weather.
"Taking this step to safeguard our high-voltage power lines is
an important part of our vegetation management program and an
effective way to reduce service interruptions for our customers,"
said Jim Myers, president of
FirstEnergy's West Virginia
operations.
The two helicopters trimming trees along the transmission lines
are both MD 500s. One is white with a registration number of
N53846, and the other is silver with a registration number of
N369MP. The helicopters and saws are owned and operated by Aerial
Solutions and will work only as weather conditions permit.
The aerial saws will trim trees along 187 miles of eight
high-voltage transmission lines in the following locations:
- A 138-kilovolt (kV) line in Brooke and Ohio counties that runs nearly nine miles from
the Windsor Heights area to the
Pennsylvania border
- A 138-kV line in Pendleton and
Grant counties that runs 37 miles
from Franklin to Petersburg
- A 500-kV line in Monongalia,
Marion and Taylor counties that runs 29 miles from
Pruntytown to Maidsville
- A 138-kV line in Monongalia,
Marion and Taylor counties that runs 18 miles from
Morgantown to Pruntytown
- A 138-kV line in Marion and
Harrison counties that runs 19
miles from Fairmont to
Clarksburg
- A 138-kV line in Taylor and
Preston counties that runs 30
miles from Pruntytown to
Albright
- A 138-kV line in Braxton and
Nicholas counties that runs 23
miles from Sutton to Powell
Mountain
- A 138-kV line in Upshur and
Randolph counties that runs 22
miles from Buckhannon to
Elkins
Suspended on an adjustable 90-foot boom beneath a helicopter and
equipped with multiple 24-inch rotary blades, the aerial saw is
typically deployed along transmission lines in areas that are
environmentally sensitive or inaccessible to bucket trucks and
other vehicles. This fast, safe and efficient method of trimming
typically covers more area in a day than a ground crew might
complete in a week. The saw also eliminates the risk of injury to
workers using bucket trucks or climbing trees to cut limbs near
high-voltage equipment.
The saw cleanly cuts tree limbs 8 to 10 inches in diameter,
which fall straight to the ground propelled by air blasts from the
helicopter rotors. Ground crews move limbs that have fallen onto
roadways, yards, agricultural fields or in streams into adjacent
wooded areas. The ground crew will also flag and stop motorists
along roads if the saw is working nearby.
The helicopter flies above and alongside transmission lines and
may circle around to perform additional trimming. The pilot
communicates with local airport personnel whenever the helicopter
is operating within their air space.
Mon Power will clear vegetation along approximately 5,700 miles
of distribution and transmission power lines in its West Virginia service area this year as part
of its $70 million vegetation
management program.
Trimming trees around power lines is critical to providing
reliable electric service for Mon Power customers. In the company's
34-county service territory, total customer outage minutes,
including during major storm events, have dropped by more than 40%
since the first full year of its existing tree-trimming program in
2015.
Mon Power serves about 395,000 customers in 34
West Virginia counties. Follow Mon
Power at www.mon-power.com, on Twitter @MonPowerWV, and on Facebook
at www.facebook.com/MonPowerWV.
FirstEnergy is dedicated to integrity, safety, reliability and
operational excellence. Its 10 electric distribution companies form
one of the nation's largest investor-owned electric systems,
serving customers in Ohio,
Pennsylvania, New Jersey, West
Virginia, Maryland and
New York. The company's
transmission subsidiaries operate approximately 24,000 miles of
transmission lines that connect the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic
regions. Follow FirstEnergy online at www.firstenergycorp.com and
on Twitter @FirstEnergyCorp.
Editor's Note: Action photos of the aerial saw are
available for download on Flickr. A video explaining
FirstEnergy's vegetation management techniques can also be found
on YouTube.
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SOURCE FirstEnergy Corp.