FirstEnergy Pennsylvania Electric Company (FE PA), a FirstEnergy subsidiary serving as Penelec in northern and central Pennsylvania, has completed work to enhance its energy delivery system in Venango and Crawford counties to help prevent or minimize the length of service disruptions, especially during severe weather.
The project included replacing more than 40 wood poles, crossarms, fuses, switches and other equipment on a power line essential for the delivery of electricity to nearly 1,000 customers in Cochranton, Utica, Polk and nearby communities.
Crews replaced 42 poles, 53 crossarms and nearly 700 older porcelain insulators along a 13-mile, 34.5 kV power line, which connects a substation located along Route 322 north of Utica to a substation in Polk. The line rebuild included the replacement of two switches allowing line workers to isolate damage and temporarily reroute power to customers using nearby lines as repairs are made to reduce the scope and duration of service interruptions.
A new remote-control switch that can be operated by distribution-system operators miles away has replaced an older manual switch located on a pole on the north end of Utica that required line crews to operate on site.
The project is designed to improve the performance of the line, which has experienced several equipment-related outages over the past five years. The reconstructed line provides a more reliable feed to the substation in Polk, benefiting about 540 customers.
The project is part of Penelec's Long Term Infrastructure Improvement Plan (LTIIP III), a $538 million initiative to fasten capital investments to the company's electric distribution system serving over five years to help ensure continued electric service reliability for customers. LTIIP III is part of Energize365, a multi-year grid evolution program focused on transmission and distribution investments to deliver the power to FirstEnergy's customers.
"Over time, severe weather takes a toll on exposed electrical infrastructure, and this project allows us to proactively address equipment that has served our customers well for many years but needed to be updated,” said John Hawkins, FirstEnergy President, Pennsylvania. “Utility poles are the backbone of the distribution system, and this work should enhance the reliability of electric service for customers in these rural communities for years to come."
