New substation equipment to benefit more
than 13,000 Mon Power customers in six counties
FAIRMONT, W.Va., Aug. 21,
2024 /PRNewswire/ -- FirstEnergy Corp. (NYSE: FE)
electric company Mon Power is replacing and upgrading equipment at
eight transmission substations in its West Virginia service territory to help
prevent or minimize the impact of power outages for more than
13,000 customers who are served by high-voltage power lines
connected to the substations.
The work involves replacing existing substation equipment with
new communication equipment, including electrical relays containing
technology that helps reduce the frequency and severity of
potential outages caused by issues such as animal contacts and
tree-related damage. The primary purpose of a relay is to protect
the electrical system from too high of a voltage or current without
causing unnecessary outages, allowing the safe operation of
equipment to which it connects.
The substations are located in the Kingwood, Parkersburg, Pruntytown, Spencer, Sutton and Weirton areas in Preston, Wood, Taylor,
Roane, Braxton and Hancock counties, respectively. Mon Power
started the upgrade projects in the spring and expects to complete
the work by the end of the year.
Jim Myers, Vice President of
First Energy's West Virginia and
Maryland Operations: "By minimizing the impact of power
outages, especially during severe weather in rural areas, we are
helping ensure the delivery of reliable power to thousands of
customers. These upgrades will not only enhance our system's
performance but also contribute to the overall economic stability
and well-being of the communities we serve in West Virginia."
This work builds upon system enhancements Mon Power completed
last year at its substations in the Clarksburg and
Fairview areas, which benefited
more than 5,500 customers served by connecting transmission
lines.
The projects are 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.
Mon Power serves about 395,000 customers in 34 West Virginia counties. Follow Mon Power
at mon-power.com, on X, formerly known as
Twitter, @MonPowerWV, and on Facebook
at facebook.com/MonPowerWV.
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 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 X @FirstEnergyCorp.
View original content to download
multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/power-system-upgrades-underway-to-enhance-electric-service-for-west-virginia-residents-and-businesses-302227850.html
SOURCE FirstEnergy Corp.