Project designed to enhance service
reliability for nearly 2,300 customers
READING,
Pa., July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Met-Ed, a
subsidiary of FirstEnergy Corp. (NYSE: FE), recently completed a
project to upgrade its distribution system in southern Monroe County to help prevent or minimize the
length of service disruptions, particularly during severe summer
storms. The work included rebuilding existing power lines to
provide a second source of electricity to a substation near
Snydersville and installing
automated equipment on the local network to help prevent service
disruptions and restore power faster for nearly 2,300
customers.
The upgrades are part of Met-Ed's Long Term Infrastructure
Improvement Plan, a $153 million
initiative to accelerate capital investments to the company's
electric distribution system over five years to help ensure
continued electric service reliability for customers.
"We've reconstructed three power lines to add a second source of
electricity for the substation, providing redundancy that allows us
to keep the lights on for many of our customers in Snydersville and Hamilton and Stroud Townships when our crews
must make repairs or perform maintenance," said Scott Wyman, president of FirstEnergy's
Pennsylvania Operations. "This substation had been fed by a single
power line that traverses dense forest, steep hillsides and swamps,
increasing the potential for lengthy tree-related outages in
hard-to-access areas."
Met-Ed created the new 34.5 kilovolt (kV) source line that runs
four miles along South Easton Belmont Pike and Middle Easton
Belmont Pike by:
- Rebuilding a single-wire, 34.5-kV power line as a three-wire
line with more electrical capacity
- Converting part of a lower voltage electric line to a 34.5-kV
line with taller poles, new wire, transformers and fuses
- Installing new 55-foot poles on a lower voltage line to
accommodate both the existing line and a new 34.5-kV line
positioned overhead on the same poles
This new 34.5-kV power line parallels the roadway, providing
easy access for crews to use bucket trucks to repair and maintain
equipment.
Two devices enabled with supervisory control and data
acquisition (SCADA) technology were installed in the substation,
with two others placed on key spots along the line. SCADA conveys
real-time information about voltage and electric current conditions
to distribution system operators. Based on conditions, operators
can control the devices remotely to quickly isolate damage and
transfer customer load from one substation source to the other,
helping to keep the lights on for customers when problems
occur.
The devices have smart capability that will allow them to sense
conditions on the system and operate automatically in several years
when Met-Ed installs more automated equipment on the local
network.
Met-Ed serves approximately 580,000 customers within 3,300
square miles of eastern and southeastern Pennsylvania. Follow Met-Ed on Twitter @Met Ed
and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/MetEdElectric.
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: A photo of line workers replacing a
utility pole and cross arms is available on Flickr.
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SOURCE FirstEnergy Corp.