Pennsylvania solar farms to generate 220
megawatts of renewable energy
GREENSBURG, Pa., July 19,
2023 /PRNewswire/ -- West Penn Power, a subsidiary of
FirstEnergy Corp. (NYSE: FE), has begun work to connect a pair of
solar energy projects in Fulton
and Franklin counties to the
electric grid. The two solar farms are being developed by global
power company AES Corporation and will generate 220 megawatts of
clean, renewable energy designated for a customer power purchase
agreement.
"FirstEnergy is committed to supporting the global energy
transition to renewable resources, and we are pleased to work with
AES to help facilitate the delivery of clean energy through
connection of these new solar projects," said Carl Bridenbaugh, FirstEnergy's vice president
of transmission. "This work aligns with FirstEnergy's long-term
strategy of pursuing opportunities that help enable the transition
to a clean, resilient energy future."
For the first project, West Penn Power will expand its
McConnellsburg substation in
Fulton County and add a new
terminal at the substation to provide a connection point for a
70-megawatt solar farm that AES is developing in Ayr Township.
The second project is a 150-megawatt solar farm in Peters and
Saint Thomas Townships in Franklin
County. West Penn Power is constructing a new substation on
McDowell Road that will serve as an interconnection for the
farm. AES will build a 138-kilovolt line from the solar farm
into the substation, and West Penn Power will add a 378-foot loop
to connect the substation to one of its existing 138-kilovolt
transmission lines that runs between the company's
Guilford and McConnellsburg
substations. The company will make upgrades at the Guilford and
McConnellsburg substations to
support the solar project as well.
West Penn Power expects to complete the connection work for both
projects in late 2023, with the two solar farms expected to be in
service and delivering clean energy in early 2024.
FirstEnergy continues to make investments that support clean
energy and improve grid reliability and resiliency. Through its
multi-year Energizing the Future initiative, the company is
upgrading its 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. Through 2022,
FirstEnergy has invested more than $10
billion in the Energizing the Future initiative.
The AES Corporation is a Fortune 500 global power company
accelerating the future of energy. AES is based in Arlington, Virginia, and has a regional office
in Conshohocken, Pennsylvania. As
of May 2023, AES has 4,900 megawatts
of operating wind, solar and energy storage projects in
the United States and is one of
the nation's leading renewable energy developers. The company's
U.S. backlog, which includes projects with signed contracts that
are not yet operational, is now 4,800 megawatts, including 3,100
megawatts under construction.
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.