Met-Ed work will help prevent or minimize
outages for more than 2,000 customers
READING,
Pa., Oct. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Met-Ed, a
subsidiary of FirstEnergy Corp. (NYSE: FE), has completed equipment
enhancements along a five-mile power line in central York County to help prevent lengthy service
disruptions, particularly during severe weather. The projects are
expected to boost electric service reliability for more than 2,000
customers in West Manchester.
View and download a photo of Met-Ed workers replacing a
utility pole and crossarms on the company's
Flickr page.
The equipment upgrades are part of Met-Ed's second phase Long
Term Infrastructure Improvement Plan (LTIIP II), a $153 million initiative approved by the
Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission to help enhance electric
service for customers.
The work included:
- Revitalizing a five-mile section of a power line that serves
homes and businesses in the growing western suburbs of York City by installing new transformers and
other electrical hardware.
- Replacing 36 wooden poles with new poles designed to withstand
severe winter elements like high winds, ice and heavy, wet
snow.
- Installing four remote-control devices at key locations on the
line to help limit the number of customers impacted by power
interruptions from severe weather, vehicle accidents and other
causes.
Scott Wyman, president of
FirstEnergy's Pennsylvania Operations: "These upgrades to our
energy delivery system will help prevent or minimize the impact of
power outages for our customers in the West Manchester area. The
completion of this work ahead of winter is a win-win because it
strengthens our electric system and keeps the lights on for
customers when they depend on it the most to stay warm and
comfortable."
Hundreds of homes and businesses in the area will also benefit
from the installation of new automated reclosing devices in the
substations and along neighborhood power lines that will help limit
the frequency, duration and scope of service
interruptions. A video of utility personnel explaining
and installing automated devices can be found
on YouTube.
These electrical devices:
- Work like a circuit breaker in a home that shuts off power when
trouble occurs, and, depending on their programming,
can reenergize the line within seconds for certain types of
outages to keep power safely flowing to customers.
- Are safer and more efficient because they can allow utility
system operators to remotely isolate damage, limiting the total
number of affected customers while restoring service to other
customers without sending a truck and crew to investigate.
- Quickly pinpoint the location of the fault and help utility
personnel better understand the cause of the outage to help speed
restoration.
Met-Ed crews from York,
Hanover and Dillsburg worked through the month of
September to complete these equipment upgrades on Taxville Road,
South Salem Church Road and Davidsburg Road.
Met-Ed serves approximately 587,000 customers within 3,300
square miles of eastern and southeastern Pennsylvania. Follow Met-Ed on
Twitter @Met Ed and on Facebook at
www.facebook.com/MetEdElectric.
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.