Work includes trimming along more than 400
miles of high-voltage power lines
FAIRMONT, W.Va., July 19,
2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Mon Power, a subsidiary of
FirstEnergy Corp. (NYSE: FE), is using helicopters equipped with
aerial saws to trim trees and maintain electrical clearances along
23 difficult-to-access transmission line corridors in West Virginia. The work began in late May and
is expected to conclude by September.
This novel and highly efficient method of tree trimming helps
Mon Power maintain proper clearances around high-voltage
transmission lines and electrical equipment, which can reduce the
frequency and duration of tree-related power outages, especially
those associated with severe weather.
"Our high-voltage transmission lines are vital to our system,
and proactive trimming near this important electrical equipment
will help to reduce service interruptions and keep power flowing to
our customers," said Jim Myers,
president of FirstEnergy's West
Virginia operations.
The helicopters trimming trees along the transmission lines are
MD 500s owned and operated by Aerial Solutions. Work will be
conducted only as weather conditions permit. The aerial saws will
trim trees along 445 miles of high-voltage transmission lines in
Braxton, Brooke, Doddridge, Grant, Greenbrier, Hancock, Harrison, Lewis, Marion, Monongalia, Nicholas, Pocahontas, Preston, Ritchie, Taylor, Tyler, Upshur
and Wood counties.
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 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.