FIRSTENERGY CORP. ERIE, Pa., April 16, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- FirstEnergy (NYSE: FE) and its subsidiaries are upgrading and expanding a 230-kilovolt electric substation in North East, Pa., to enhance reliability for customers as well as reduce the frequency and duration of power outages for Pennsylvania Electric Company (Penelec) customers in Erie County.
The project includes new voltage-regulating equipment that will help maintain service reliability if a transmission line in the area experiences an outage. Crews are also installing four new circuit breakers that will enhance system performance and help shorten power outage restoration time. The estimated project cost is $10 million.
"When completed in June, the expanded facility will help keep power flowing to Penelec customers in the event one of our local transmission lines goes out of service due to weather, maintenance work or other disruption," said Scott Wyman, regional president, Penelec. "Modernizing this substation will provide much-needed flexibility and redundancy that allows our system operators to swiftly react to changing conditions on the grid."
Construction crews are on track to complete the project on time and without a lost-time injury despite working through the area's snowiest winter in history. Nearby Erie, Pa., received nearly 200 inches of snow this winter, far exceeding the previous record of 149 inches set in the winter of 2000-01.
Penelec, a subsidiary of FirstEnergy Corp., serves approximately 590,000 customers in 31 Pennsylvania counties. Follow Penelec on Twitter @Penelec and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/PenelecElectric.
FirstEnergy is dedicated to safety, reliability and operational excellence. Its 10 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 more than 24,000 miles of transmission lines that connect the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic regions. Visit FirstEnergy online at www.firstenergycorp.com and follow on Twitter @FirstEnergyCorp.
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SOURCE FirstEnergy Corp.
