FirstEnergy’s subsidiary, Mon Power has been awarded $5 million in federal funding by the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations (OCED) for a project to improve electric service reliability for customers in parts of rural West Virginia.
The funding, part of the Energy Improvements in Rural or Remote Areas (ERA) program established by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, will not only help rebuild more than 23 miles of power lines in Pocahontas, Braxton and Clay counties but also connect a two-mile alternate power line with a substation in Petersburg, Grant County, resulting in enhanced reliability for more than 3,000 customers.
The work will enable Mon Power and its sister company Potomac Edison, which also serves West Virginia, to restore service to customers faster by connecting them to adjacent lines that serve as a backup power feed while repairs are made during an outage.
Mon Power's proposal was selected as one of 19 community-led projects across 12 states and 13 tribal nations and communities to receive more than $78 million to develop and deploy sustainable clean energy solutions or expand access to reliable and affordable energy in rural and remote communities across the country.
Mon Power expects to begin construction on the project in 2025. Company representatives have engaged with city, county, state and nonprofit agencies about the proposal, providing updates and including community feedback into Mon Power's plans.
Additionally, Mon Power plans to partner with community-based organizations in the affected counties to address workforce disparity gaps for historically under-resourced communities.
