New equipment will benefit hundreds of
customers
ERIE,
Pa., June 30, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Penelec, a
subsidiary of FirstEnergy Corp. (NYSE: FE), is working to help
enhance service reliability for more than 400 customers in
Millcreek Township, Erie County, by replacing underground electric
cable, transformers and other equipment. The project is expected to
be completed this summer.
Over time, water and corrosive soil materials have penetrated
underground wires through tiny cracks and fissures which can lead
to reliability issues and potential service interruptions.
Contractors are replacing more than a mile of the electric cable in
the Rolling Meadows neighborhood, which was originally installed in
the 1970s and 1980s. In addition, they will install 21 new
transformers as well as equipment that divides the cable into
smaller sections, helping to isolate damage and limit the number of
customers impacted by service interruptions.
The replacement work centers around West 42nd, West
41st, and West 40th Streets, Canterbury
Drive and Amherst Road.
"The new wires encased in PVC conduit will help better protect
the equipment and is expected to last for decades," said
Scott Wyman, president of
FirstEnergy's Pennsylvania
operations. "Underground cables housed in conduit are easier for
line crews to repair, which can shorten the duration of service
interruptions."
Contractors will use a machine to bore horizontally beneath the
ground wherever possible to limit excavation damage to driveways,
sidewalks and landscaping. Areas with unmarked utilities or hard
surfaces may require some trenching. Once the boring is completed,
the conduit will be fed through the openings and the cable pulled
through the conduit. Crews will restore any disturbed areas after
the work is finished.
The new cable will be placed within the right of way adjacent to
the existing line. Occasional planned outages will be necessary to
transfer groups of customers from the old cable onto the new system
as the project progresses. Penelec will notify impacted customers
and public officials in advance of scheduled outages.
The work is part of Penelec's Long Term Infrastructure
Improvement Plans (LTIIP II), a $200
million initiative to accelerate capital investments over
five years to help enhance continued electric service reliability
for the company's 585,000 customers.
Penelec serves approximately 585,000 customers within 17,600
square miles of northern and central Pennsylvania. Follow Penelec on Twitter
@Penelec and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/PenelecElectric.
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: Photos of underground cable conduit and a
boring machine are available for download on Flickr.
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SOURCE FirstEnergy Corp.