Smart Grid Enhancements Underway on Electric System in Eastern Pennsylvania
FirstEnergy Pennsylvania Electric Company (FE PA), a FirstEnergy subsidiary doing business in eastern Pennsylvania as Met-Ed, is installing smart, automated equipment on neighborhood power lines serving 24,160 York and Adams County customers to help prevent long service interruptions during severe weather.
"These upgrades to our energy delivery system will help prevent or minimize the impact of power outages for our Met-Ed customers in numerous communities across York and Adams counties,” said John Hawkins, FirstEnergy's President, Pennsylvania. “This important work is part of our Long-Term Infrastructure Improvement Plan (LTIIP) II, a $153 million initiative to accelerate investments in our Met-Ed system over five years to help ensure continued reliable electric service for our customers."
The work comprises of installing 53 automated switching devices with supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) technology at crucial spots on overhead power lines. SCADA-controlled devices convey real-time information about voltage and electric conditions to distribution system operators.
The remote-control devices:
· Work like a circuit breaker in a home closing power during problems.
· Are safer and more efficient as they allow 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.
· Pinpoint the location of the electrical fault and help utility personnel better understand the cause of the outage to help speed restoration.
Communities to benefit from the automated switching devices include:
· Adams County (4,760 customers) – Berwick Township, Hamilton Township and Menallen Township
· York County (19,400 customers) – Codorus Township, Dover, Heidelberg Township, Manchester Township, Manheim Township, North Codorus Township, Paradise Township, Penn Township, Shrewsbury Township, Springfield Township, West Manchester Township, York Township and York City
While some of the new devices are in service, the remainder of the equipment is expected to be installed and operational by the end of 2024.
The work is part of Energize365, a multi-year grid evolution program including LTIIP II, and is focused on transmission and distribution investments to deliver power to FirstEnergy's customers.
The program will create a smarter, more secure grid to meet and exceed reliability targets and accommodate electric vehicles, the electrification of homes and businesses and clean energy sources with planned investments of $26 billion between 2024 and 2028.
