Aerial crew to help install new insulators
along 68-mile transmission corridor
AKRON,
Ohio, Aug. 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- American
Transmission Systems, Inc. (ATSI), a subsidiary of FirstEnergy
Corp. (NYSE: FE), is using helicopters and ground crews to replace
more than 1,100 insulators along a 68-mile transmission line
corridor that runs through Carroll, Columbiana, Jefferson, Stark and Summit counties in northeast Ohio.
The work on the 345-kilovolt transmission line running
northwest from a substation in Stratton,
Ohio, to a substation in Wadsworth, Ohio, upgrades equipment to help
ensure the power system remains reliable and resilient. Insulators
separate high-voltage transmission lines from their grounded
support towers and help maintain safe, consistent delivery of power
while preventing the current from traveling through the
structures.
FirstEnergy crews will perform a portion of the insulator
replacement work between Wadsworth
and New Franklin, Ohio, while the
majority of the replacements will be handled by a contractor that
carries linemen to the top of the 80-foot towers via helicopter.
The linemen will be harnessed and lowered down onto each structure
to install the new insulators, and the helicopter will also lower
the new materials for the assembly and carry the old materials
away.
This aerial method is faster and more efficient than deploying
ground crews to each structure, which would require the creation of
access roads for large trucks and equipment. ATSI began replacing
the insulators in July and expects to complete the replacements on
376 transmission structures along the corridor by this fall. The
transmission line has been deenergized until the work is complete
but is not disrupting service to customers, who are being served by
an alternate power feed.
"By proactively addressing equipment needs before they become a
problem, we can help prevent potential power outages and ensure
that our transmission system continues to serve customers safely
and reliably in the future," said Carl
Bridenbaugh, FirstEnergy's vice president of
Transmission.
The project is part of Energizing the Future, a
multi-year, $7 billion initiative
designed to upgrade FirstEnergy's transmission system with advanced
equipment and technologies that will reinforce the power grid and
help reduce the frequency and duration of customer outages. Since
2014, FirstEnergy has upgraded or replaced existing power lines,
incorporated smart technology into the grid and upgraded dozens of
substations with new equipment and enhanced security features.
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.
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SOURCE FirstEnergy Corp.