FirstEnergy Corp. has scheduled more than 35 major distribution and transmission infrastructure projects and other work in 2015 to help enhance service reliability in Metropolitan Edison Company's (Met-Ed) 15-county service area.
Major projects planned for this year include building new circuits, replacing underground cables, inspecting and replacing utility poles, and installing automated remote control devices designed to reduce the number of outages Met-Ed customers might experience.
"The infrastructure projects we have completed in recent years have resulted in some of the best reliability numbers the company has reported, and we believe our work plans for 2015 will help continue this trend," said Ed Shuttleworth, regional president of Met-Ed. "Our goal is to enhance the quality of service we provide our customers now, while helping to prepare our system for future load growth."
Scheduled projects in the Met-Ed service area in 2015 include:
- Upgrading substations in the Easton/Stroudsburg, Lebanon, Reading and York areas by installing or enhancing circuit breakers, switches and other equipment, along with inspecting transformers.
- Installing new sectionalizing equipment, such as fuses and devices that reset automatically, to help reduce the number of outages across the entire Met-Ed service territory.
- Installing capacitor banks and other equipment in the York, Reading, and Easton areas to help maintain proper voltage levels. This is expected to benefit Met-Ed's industrial and large commercial customers that operate large motors and other sensitive machinery. Capacitor banks help maintain proper voltages during periods of high demand.
- Inspecting and replacing utility poles and overhead equipment. This inspection process is conducted on a 12-year cycle. Inspections began in January, with replacement work scheduled to be completed throughout the fall.
- Repairing and replacing underground equipment throughout Met-Ed territory.
