Jersey Central Power & Light (JCP&L) has completed upgrades on eight major circuits serving nearly 15,000 customers in Monmouth County. The upgrades are part of nearly $6 million in enhancements planned for more than 90 circuits across JCP&L's 13-county service area this year.
Upgrades were completed on circuits serving the following municipalities:
- Aberdeen Township, Atlantic Highlands, Colts Neck, Freehold, Freehold Township, Hazlet Township, Highlands, Holmdel Township, Long Branch, Marlboro Township, Middletown Township and Tinton Falls.
"Our annual circuit upgrade program helps to continually enhance the resiliency of our distribution system," said Tony Hurley, vice president of Operations for JCP&L. "These enhancements are expected to play an important part in helping to limit the frequency and duration of service disruptions to our customers."
The work is part of the company's effort to use advanced technology to help enhance its system. The upgrades included installing more resilient polymer fuses, animal guards and lightning protection devices, adding larger, 10-foot cross-arms to increase wire clearance, and installing fault indicators that help identify problem areas on a circuit which helps speed the restoration process if an outage occurs.
The work is part of JCP&L's previously announced plans to spend $267 million in 2015 to help enhance and maintain a strong electrical system and help meet future load growth.
