New Met-Ed equipment to enhance electric
service reliability for more than 7,000 customers
READING,
Pa., Sept. 5, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- FirstEnergy
Pennsylvania Electric Company (FE
PA), a FirstEnergy Corp. (NYSE: FE) subsidiary doing
business as Met-Ed in southeastern Pennsylvania, recently energized a new
transformer at its substation near Third and Willow streets in
Lebanon to enhance electric
service reliability for more than 7,000 customers in the city,
North Lebanon Township and
West Lebanon Township.
The substation's previous transformer experienced a failure in
early June and could not be repaired. A mobile substation provided
temporary service to customers in the area until the new
transformer was installed to help ensure long-term grid
stability.
John Hawkins, FirstEnergy's President, Pennsylvania: "Resolving
this critical issue was a top priority, and we expect this to
strengthen the reliability of electric service provided to our
Lebanon customers. We engineered a
solution, identified a spare transformer with the capacity to
handle the electrical load and put our crews to work to safely and
quickly install the unit. I am pleased to report the new
transformer is in-service and operating as designed."
Met-Ed's substation near Third and Willow streets is
particularly important because it supplies electricity to the
underground distribution network that powers much of Lebanon's core downtown.
The new transformer measures 13-feet tall by 12-feet wide and
weighs more than 100,000 pounds. A large crane hoisted the unit
over the substation fence and onto a concrete foundation.
Electricians also pulled cables through the newly installed
underground conduit, connecting the transformer with electrical
equipment housed within the substation's control building.
Crews worked extended hours for three weeks to connect the
transformer before testing and calibrating the unit to ensure it
functioned properly. The transformer was energized in late July.
The mobile substation has been disconnected and is ready for
deployment.
More investments are planned in nearby West Lebanon at another Met-Ed substation.
Engineers and crews are preparing for another new transformer to be
installed. Additional updates will be provided as the delivery of
the transformer, which is expected in the next 18 to 24 months,
gets closer.
The work 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.
Met-Ed serves approximately 592,000 customers within 3,300
square miles of eastern and southeastern Pennsylvania. Follow Met-Ed on X, formerly
known as Twitter, @Met Ed and on Facebook at
facebook.com/MetEdElectric.
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. Visit FirstEnergy online at firstenergycorp.com and
follow FirstEnergy on X @FirstEnergyCorp.
Editor's Note: Photos of the new permanent
transformer and mobile substation are available for download on
Flickr.
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SOURCE FirstEnergy Corp.