FirstEnergy Transmission Line Rebuild Helps Enhance Reliability for Ohio Edison Customers

A transmission affiliate of FirstEnergy Corp. has completed rebuilding a 69-kV transmission line to help enhance electric service reliability for Ohio Edison customers in and around Morrow County. The 12.8-mile line upgrade includes the installation of new poles between two substations as well as updating equipment to help increase capacity and reduce the number of equipment-related outages.

"The line was originally built in the 1950s," said Carl Bridenbaugh, vice president of transmission at FirstEnergy. "These upgrades will modernize the grid between these two substations, which is an important part of our efforts to improve reliability across the area."

Work is also currently underway at a substation outside of Cardington to install new switches that better control incoming and outgoing power supply. These upgrades will increase flexibility during scheduled maintenance or unplanned outages, allowing electricity to flow more reliably to customers around the clock. Substation upgrades are scheduled to be complete at the end of May.

This project is part of a larger plan to modernize transmission facilities in Morrow County to help reduce the risk of power outages for customers between Mansfield and Columbus. Planning for additional upgrades in this area is underway. The work, which will be completed by American Transmission Systems, Inc., a FirstEnergy company, is part of Energizing the Future, the company's multiyear investment initiative aimed at upgrading transmission facilities with advanced equipment and technology.