Met-Ed work will help prevent or minimize outages for more than 2,000 customers

READING, Pa., Oct. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Met-Ed, a subsidiary of FirstEnergy Corp. (NYSE: FE), has completed equipment enhancements along a five-mile power line in central York County to help prevent lengthy service disruptions, particularly during severe weather. The projects are expected to boost electric service reliability for more than 2,000 customers in West Manchester.

View and download a photo of Met-Ed workers replacing a utility pole and crossarms on the company's Flickr page.

The equipment upgrades are part of Met-Ed's second phase Long Term Infrastructure Improvement Plan (LTIIP II), a $153 million initiative approved by the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission to help enhance electric service for customers.

The work included:

• Revitalizing a five-mile section of a power line that serves homes and businesses in the growing western suburbs of York City by installing new transformers and other electrical hardware.
• Replacing 36 wooden poles with new poles designed to withstand severe winter elements like high winds, ice and heavy, wet snow.
• Installing four remote-control devices at key locations on the line to help limit the number of customers impacted by power interruptions from severe weather, vehicle accidents and other causes.

Scott Wyman, president of FirstEnergy's Pennsylvania Operations: "These upgrades to our energy delivery system will help prevent or minimize the impact of power outages for our customers in the West Manchester area. The completion of this work ahead of winter is a win-win because it strengthens our electric system and keeps the lights on for customers when they depend on it the most to stay warm and comfortable."

Hundreds of homes and businesses in the area will also benefit from the installation of new automated reclosing devices in the substations and along neighborhood power lines that will help limit the frequency, duration and scope of service interruptions. A video of utility personnel explaining and installing automated devices can be found on YouTube.

These electrical devices:

• Work like a circuit breaker in a home that shuts off power when trouble occurs, and, depending on their programming, can reenergize the line within seconds for certain types of outages to keep power safely flowing to customers.
• Are safer and more efficient because they can allow utility system operators to remotely isolate damage, limiting the total number of affected customers while restoring service to other customers without sending a truck and crew to investigate.
• Quickly pinpoint the location of the fault and help utility personnel better understand the cause of the outage to help speed restoration.

Met-Ed crews from York, Hanover and Dillsburg worked through the month of September to complete these equipment upgrades on Taxville Road, South Salem Church Road and Davidsburg Road. 

Met-Ed serves approximately 587,000 customers within 3,300 square miles of eastern and southeastern Pennsylvania. Follow Met-Ed on Twitter @Met Ed and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/MetEdElectric.

FirstEnergy is dedicated to integrity, 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 approximately 24,000 miles of transmission lines that connect the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic regions. Follow FirstEnergy online at www.firstenergycorp.com and on Twitter @FirstEnergyCorp.

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SOURCE FirstEnergy Corp.