WILLIAMSPORT, Md., June 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Potomac Edison,
a subsidiary of FirstEnergy Corp. (NYSE: FE), is using a helicopter
equipped with an aerial saw to trim trees and maintain electrical
clearances along six difficult-to-access transmission line
corridors in Maryland,
West Virginia and Virginia. The work began on May 20 and is expected to conclude in
mid-July.
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 such as spring and summer thunderstorms.
"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 James A. Sears, Jr., president
of FirstEnergy's Maryland
operations.
The helicopter trimming trees along the transmission lines is a
white Hughes MD500 with blue and yellow stripes prominently marked
with a registration number of N11AS in blue paint. The helicopter
and saw are owned and operated by Aerial Solutions and will work
only as weather conditions permit.
The aerial saw will trim trees along the sides of 106 miles of
six high-voltage transmission lines in the following locations:
Maryland
- A 230-kilovolt (kV) line in Washington and Frederick counties that runs nearly 18 miles
from the Smithsburg area to
Boonsboro
- A 230-kV line in Frederick
County that runs seven miles from Linganore toward
Frederick
- A 230-kV line in Frederick
County that runs 11 miles from Mt.
Airy to the New Market
area
- A 230-kV line in Carroll
County that runs nearly 13 miles from Union Bridge to Mt.
Airy
West Virginia
- A 500-kV line in Grant and
Hampshire counties that runs 47
miles east from the Bismarck area toward Va.
Virginia
- A 138-kV line in Frederick
County that runs nearly 11 miles to the W.Va. state line and
feeds Potomac Edison customers in the Eastern Panhandle of
W.Va.
Suspended on a boom beneath the 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 helicopter 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.
Potomac Edison will clear vegetation along approximately 1,670
miles of distribution and transmission power lines in its
Maryland service area this year
and 1,550 miles of lines in its territory in the Eastern Panhandle
of West Virginia as part of its
$38 million vegetation management
program.
Trimming trees around power lines is critical to providing
reliable electric service for Potomac Edison customers. In 2020,
the company saw a 45% reduction in tree-related outages compared to
2019, and the amount of time customers experienced service
interruptions due to trees dropped by 75%.
Potomac Edison serves about 275,000 customers in all or
parts of Allegany, Carroll, Frederick, Garrett, Howard, Montgomery and Washington counties in Maryland and about 151,000 customers in the
Eastern Panhandle of West
Virginia. Follow Potomac Edison at www.potomacedison.com, on
Twitter @PotomacEdison, and on Facebook at
www.facebook.com/PotomacEdison.
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.