GREENSBURG, Pa., Jan. 30,
2023 /PRNewswire/ -- West Penn Power, a subsidiary of
FirstEnergy Corp. (NYSE: FE), is upgrading its distribution system
in Allegheny and Washington counties to help prevent lengthy
service interruptions, particularly during severe weather. The work
includes installation of automated equipment along neighborhood
power lines serving nearly 6,400 customers in South Park, Bethel
Park, Peters Township and
nearby areas.
Expected to be completed in early 2023, the project is part of
West Penn Power's Long Term Infrastructure Improvement Plan (LTIIP
II), a $147 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.
"West Penn Power continues to invest in new technologies and
equipment to provide safe, dependable electric service for our
customers," said Scott Wyman,
president of FirstEnergy's Pennsylvania operations. "This project
features automated equipment that will allow us to quickly
reconfigure our network when a power line is out of service,
temporarily switching customers to a nearby power line to keep
their lights on while our utility crews make repairs. This is
particularly important in this area, where trees outside of our
permitted trimming areas frequently contact our electrical lines,
causing power outages."
Hundreds of homes and businesses in the area will benefit from
the installation of eight new automated reclosing devices along
three neighborhood power lines to help limit the frequency,
duration and scope of service interruptions. When an outage occurs,
the reclosers will allow customers served by a power line extending
from a substation near South Park Elementary School through a
heavily wooded area along Stoltz Road to be temporarily transferred
to two nearby lines from a substation off Sugar Camp Road near
Peterswood Park. Customers served by those two power lines would
benefit similarly when trouble occurs on either of those lines.
Electrical reclosing devices work like a circuit breaker in a
home that shuts off power when trouble occurs. These devices can be
controlled remotely by distribution system operators to quickly
re-energize lines for certain types of outages to keep power safely
flowing to customers. The devices have smart capability that will
allow them to sense conditions on the system and operate
automatically as more automated equipment is installed on the local
network in coming years.
This technology is safer and more efficient because it
often allows utility personnel to restore service to customers
remotely rather than sending a crew to investigate. If the device
senses a more serious issue, such as a fallen tree on electrical
equipment, it will isolate the outage to that area and limit the
total number of affected customers by temporarily switching them to
a different line. The devices can quickly pinpoint the location of
the fault to help crews speed restoration.
Crews will also install voltage regulators at key locations on
the lines so that adequate voltage is maintained whenever the
network is temporarily reconfigured during repairs. Crews have
already replaced several utility poles to accommodate the new
equipment.
West Penn Power serves approximately 725,000 customers in 24
counties within central and southwestern Pennsylvania. Follow West Penn Power on
Twitter @W_Penn_Power and on Facebook at
www.facebook.com/WestPennPower.
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: Photos of a newly installed smart
reclosing device on Library Road near Bethel Park and another on a trailer awaiting
installation are available on Flickr.
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SOURCE FirstEnergy Corp.