FirstEnergy Pennsylvania Completes Electric Upgrades to Boost Reliability for Bradford Customers
FirstEnergy Pennsylvania Electric Company (FE PA), a subsidiary of FirstEnergy, known in northwestern Pennsylvania as Penelec, has completed an upgrade in McKean County to provide more reliable and resilient electric service for more than 1,000 Bradford and Bradford Township customers.
New underground cable for three power lines served by a local substation is helping to reduce outages, speed power restoration and support local growth. The project builds on work completed in 2024, when Penelec installed a new substation transformer to deliver more electricity and meet the community's power needs.
The work includes:
- Installing stronger cables: New, bigger underground wires to carry more electricity to local homes and businesses.
- Adding backup capabilities: Redundant power lines for customers to switch to another line to minimize power outages during various issues.
- Protecting new equipment: Sturdy plastic pipes to protect underground power lines from water, road salt and corrosive soil to keep electricity more reliable.
- Completing additional upgrades in 2026: Adjustments to existing pole-top equipment in the coming year will make it easier to reroute electricity and further reduce outages.
The upgrades are part of FE PA's Long Term Infrastructure Improvement Plan (LTIIP) III, which accelerates important investments in electric system reliability. The LTIIP III investment for Penelec's service area is $538 million.