Upgrades will benefit more than
8,000 Penelec customers
ERIE,
Pa., April 18, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- FirstEnergy
Pennsylvania Electric Company (FE
PA), a FirstEnergy Corp. (NYSE: FE) subsidiary doing
business as Penelec, is installing automated reclosing devices and
other equipment in substations serving more than 8,000 customers in
Erie County. The work is designed
to help prevent lengthy service interruptions, particularly during
severe weather.
Scott Wyman, President of
FirstEnergy's Pennsylvania Operations: "Substation upgrades
play a major role in preventing power outages because they manage
the flow of electricity to homes and businesses. This important
work is part of our Long-Term Infrastructure Improvement Plan II, a
$200 million initiative that will
accelerate investments in our Penelec system over five years to
help ensure continued reliable electric service for our
customers."
Communities that will benefit from the upgrades to five local
Erie County substations include
East Springfield, Erie City (west side), Fairview Township, Millcreek Township, Platea and western
Erie County.
Thousands of homes and businesses will benefit from the
installation of new, smart automated reclosing devices that will
help limit the frequency, duration and extent of service
interruptions.
Automated recloser devices:
- Work like a circuit breaker in a home that shuts off power when
trouble occurs, with the added benefit of
automatically reenergizing a substation or power line within
seconds for certain types of outages to keep power safely flowing
to customers.
- Are safer and more efficient because they often allow utility
personnel to automatically restore service to customers instead of
sending a crew to investigate.
- Isolate the outage to that area and limit the total number of
affected customers if the device senses a more serious issue, like
a fallen tree on electrical equipment.
- Quickly pinpoint the location of the fault and help utility
personnel better understand the cause of the outage to help speed
restoration.
Watch a video that explains how smart
grid technology works, including reclosers.
In addition to automated reclosers, batteries that provide
backup power for equipment during loss of electric supply,
protective devices to safeguard sensitive components from
lightning, and insulators are being installed in several
substations. Some of the new equipment is already in service, and
the remainder of the equipment is expected to be installed and
operational later this year.
This 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.
Penelec serves approximately 597,000 customers within 17,600
square miles of northern and central Pennsylvania and western New York. Follow Penelec on X, formerly known
as Twitter, @Penelec and on Facebook at
facebook.com/PenelecElectric.
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. Visit
FirstEnergy online at firstenergycorp.com and follow
FirstEnergy on X @FirstEnergyCorp.
Editor's Note: Photos of substation automated
reclosers and battery banks are available for download on
Flickr.
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SOURCE FirstEnergy Corp.