Toledo Edison invests $7
million to reinforce the power grid during severe
weather
TOLEDO,
Ohio, May 15, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Toledo
Edison, a FirstEnergy Corp. (NYSE:
FE) subsidiary, is conducting tree trimming and other vegetation
management work in communities across northwest Ohio as part of the company's ongoing efforts
to help enhance electric service reliability. This year's
$7 million tree-trimming program will
help keep power flowing to customers by helping to prevent
tree-related outages, such as those that can occur during the
spring and summer storm season.
A video explaining and demonstrating tree-trimming work
can be found on FirstEnergy's YouTube
channel.
On the ground, contractors have trimmed trees along more than
100 miles of power lines across Toledo Edison's service area since
the beginning of the year. The company is on track to complete an
additional 1,850 miles of tree-trimming work by the end of the
year. Similar work is performed annually by FirstEnergy
transmission companies along high-voltage power lines in the
company's service territory.
Pat Mullin, Acting President
of FirstEnergy's Ohio Operations: "Trees are a leading cause of
power outages, and we complete tree-trimming work each year to
prevent tree-related outages during severe weather. This work,
paired with the vast upgrades we've made to our local power system
over recent years, undoubtedly helps minimize the impact of
weather-related outages to keep the power flowing safely and
reliably to customers."
Tree trimming is done on a four-year cycle. The work includes
inspecting vegetation near power lines to ensure trees are pruned
to preserve the health of the tree while also maintaining safe
clearances. Trees that present a danger or are diseased may be
removed.
This year, the work is being conducted in the following counties
and communities:
- Defiance: Ayersville, Defiance and Ney
- Fulton: Fayette, Delta and Lyons
- Henry: Holgate, Hamler, McClure and Ridgeville Corners
- Lucas: Oregon and Toledo
- Sandusky: Clyde, Fremont, Gibsonburg, Helena, Millersville and Woodville
- Wood: Grand Rapids,
Lakewood, Northwood, Pemberville, Tontogany and Weston
As part of its notification process, Toledo Edison works with
municipalities to inform them of trimming schedules. In addition,
customers living in areas along company rights-of-way also are
notified before vegetation management work is done.
The vegetation management work is conducted by certified
forestry experts under the company's direction, including
Arbormetics Solutions, Jaflo Inc., Asplundh Tree Expert Company,
Nelson Tree Service Inc. and Penn Line Service.
In the air, helicopters equipped with aerial saws began trimming
trees in March to maintain clearances along hard-to-access
transmission and distribution corridors throughout Toledo Edison's
service area. The aerial saw is typically deployed along
transmission and distribution lines in areas that may be
environmentally sensitive or inaccessible to bucket trucks and
other vehicles. This method typically covers more area in a day
than a ground crew might complete in a week. The saw also
eliminates the risk of injury to workers using bucket trucks or
climbing trees to cut limbs near high-voltage equipment.
Toledo Edison serves nearly
315,000 customers in northwest Ohio. Follow Toledo Edison on X, formerly
known as Twitter, @ToledoEdison or on Facebook at
facebook.com/ToledoEdison.
FirstEnergy is dedicated to integrity, safety, reliability and
operational excellence. Its electric distribution companies form
one of the nation's largest investor-owned electric systems,
serving more than six million 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 firstenergycorp.com and on
X @FirstEnergyCorp.
Editor's Note: Photos of workers trimming trees near
FirstEnergy power lines are available for download on Flickr.
B-roll of the aerial saw in action is available on YouTube.
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SOURCE FirstEnergy Corp.