NEW CASTLE, Pa., June 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Penn Power, a
FirstEnergy Corp. (NYSE: FE) electric company, recently completed
proactive equipment inspections and maintenance to reinforce the
electric system against extreme heat and severe weather this
summer. The work builds upon vast equipment and technology upgrades
FirstEnergy has made to its electric grid in western Pennsylvania over recent years to help prevent
power outages and reduce many interruptions to just a brief or
momentary outage.
"We proactively inspect, maintain and upgrade our equipment to
minimize the length and impact of service interruptions that are
caused by elements out of our control, like severe weather," said
Ed Shuttleworth, regional president
of Penn Power and Ohio Edison. "This year alone, FirstEnergy has
invested more than $15 million in new
automated technology and equipment across the Penn Power service
area to help keep the power flowing to our customers in all types
of weather conditions."
Helicopter patrols have completed inspections of nearly 750
miles of FirstEnergy high voltage power lines located in the Penn
Power service area. The inspections are designed to look for
damaged wire, broken cross arms, failed insulators and other
hardware problems not visible from the ground. Any potential
reliability issues identified during the inspections are addressed
as quickly as possible.
On the ground, proactive equipment inspections include using
thermovision cameras to capture infrared images of electrical
equipment that can detect potential problems within substations and
on power lines that cannot be observed during regular visual
inspections. The infrared technology shows heat on a color scale,
with brighter colors or "hot spots" indicating areas that could
need repairs. These images can identify equipment issues such as
loose connections, corrosion and load imbalances, and utility
workers are able to make repairs to prevent potential power outages
in the future.
Other utility work being done by Penn Power personnel includes
inspecting distribution circuits, such as transformers, capacitors,
reclosers and lightning arrestors to ensure the equipment is
operational and the lines are ready to perform efficiently when
demand for electricity increases during the summer, typically due
to air conditioning usage.
Penn Power and FirstEnergy employees also participated in
readiness exercises and drills throughout the year to test the
company's restoration process used to repair storm-related power
outages. Storm drills are becoming more common in the utility
industry in the wake of severe weather over the last several
years.
For more information on preparing for severe weather, or for
updates if storms do cause power outages, visit the 24/7 Power
Center at www.firstenergycorp.com/outages.
As summer temperatures soar, Penn Power offers customers tips to
help improve their energy efficiency at
www.firstenergycorp.com/save_energy.
Summer also is a time when contractors and homeowners spend more
time outdoors completing projects. Important outdoor electrical
safety tips are available at
www.firstenergycorp.com/publicsafety.
Penn Power serves more than 160,000 customers in all or parts of
Allegheny, Beaver, Butler, Crawford, Lawrence and Mercer counties in western Pennsylvania. Follow Penn Power on Twitter
@Penn_Power, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/PennPower, and online
at www.pennpower.com.
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.
Follow FirstEnergy on Twitter: @FirstEnergyCorp.
Editor's Note: Photos of Penn Power workers
completing equipment upgrades and inspections are available for
download on Flickr. A video of utility personnel conducting a
thermovision inspection and explaining the work can be found on the
company's YouTube channel.
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SOURCE FirstEnergy Corp.