New poles, wires and equipment to benefit
17,000 customers
HOLMDEL,
N.J., Sept. 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Jersey
Central Power & Light (JCP&L), a subsidiary of FirstEnergy
Corp. (NYSE: FE), has begun upgrading two miles of a high-voltage
power line in Monmouth County to
help prevent or minimize the impact of service disruptions for more
than 17,000 customers in the region.
The 34.5-kilovolt power line runs south from JCP&L's
Elberon Substation to its Allenhurst Substation, traversing
Long Branch, Ocean Township, Deal and Allenhurst. As part of the
project, JCP&L will replace the existing wires, hardware
and structures that have been in place since the 1970s with new
poles, wires and equipment.
The new wires installed can carry more electrical load and will
be able to accommodate greater customer demand. They will also be
able to carry increased power flow in the event of unplanned
service interruptions on other lines in the area. The work is
expected to be completed in late 2023.
"These upgrades will reinforce the electric grid and help us
meet the growing demand for safe, reliable power by our customers
in Central Jersey," said Jim Fakult,
president of New Jersey Operations for FirstEnergy. "This work also
offers a backup power feed that will help keep the lights on
for customers if wires or equipment on their regular line are
damaged or need to be taken out of service."
The upgrade is the fourth in a series of projects designed to
enhance reliability for Central Jersey customers. Late last
year, JCP&L started construction on two projects to
upgrade 19 miles of transmission power lines in the Monmouth County area and enhance reliability
for 50,000 customers. Overall, JCP&L is investing $223 million to upgrade more than 60 miles of
transmission lines in the county.
The projects are part of Energizing the Future, an
ongoing multistate 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. Through 2022, FirstEnergy had
invested more than $10 billion in the
Energizing the Future initiative across its six-state
service territory.
JCP&L serves 1.1 million customers in the counties of
Burlington, Essex, Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth, Morris, Ocean, Passaic, Somerset, Sussex, Union
and Warren. Follow JCP&L on
Twitter @JCP_L, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/JCPandL or online
at www.jcp-l.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 and
on Twitter @FirstEnergyCorp.
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SOURCE FirstEnergy Corp.