Project will enhance reliability for 5,000
FirstEnergy customers in Lake and
Geauga counties
AKRON,
Ohio, March 28, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- American
Transmission Systems, Inc. (ATSI), a subsidiary of FirstEnergy
Corp. (NYSE: FE), has upgraded 16 miles of two high-voltage power
lines in Ohio's Lake and Geauga counties, stringing new wires with
increased capacity for carrying electricity. The project is
expected to strengthen the regional transmission system and enhance
service reliability for nearly 5,000 customers of The Illuminating
Company, a FirstEnergy company.
The two 138-kilovolt power lines share 119 transmission towers
and connect two area substations, running southwest 16 miles from
Leroy Township through
Hambden, Chardon, Munson and Chester townships. The new
wires help reduce the risk of overloads on the lines by allowing
them to carry increased power flow in the event of unplanned
service interruptions on other transmission lines.
Carl Bridenbaugh,
FirstEnergy's Vice President of Transmission: "This line
upgrade will reinforce our transmission system and help provide us
with the flexibility we need to continue delivering reliable power
to customers in Northeast
Ohio."
As part of the approximately $15.5
million project, ATSI also installed new components and
insulators along the route to support the wires. Helicopter crews
performed most of the equipment upgrades along the section.
Performing the work with helicopters is faster and more efficient
than using ground crews, which requires the creation of access
roads for large trucks and equipment.
The project was identified in conjunction with PJM, the electric
grid operator for FirstEnergy's service territory, as part of its
reliability planning analysis. The 240-foot-wide transmission
corridor hosts multiple power lines, and last year, ATSI upgraded
an 8-mile section of two separate 138-kilovolt lines between
Leroy Township and Chardon Township. A second phase of that
upgrade project is planned for the fall of 2024.
ATSI provides transmission services in Ohio and in the western portion of
Pennsylvania and owns or maintains
more than 8,100 miles of transmission lines, substations and other
facilities.
The project is part of Energize365, a multi-year grid
evolution program focused on transmission and distribution
investments that will deliver the power FirstEnergy's customers
depend on today while also meeting the challenges of tomorrow. With
planned investments of $26 billion
between 2024 and 2028, the program will create a smarter, more
secure grid that will meet and exceed reliability targets and
accommodate electric vehicles, the electrification of homes and
businesses and clean energy sources.
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, formerly known
as Twitter, @FirstEnergyCorp.
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SOURCE FirstEnergy Corp.