Jersey Central Power & Light (JCP&L) said more than $3 million in electric system upgrades in parts of Somerset County, New Jersey, have significantly improved reliability, reducing outages by as much as 52% and shortening restoration times by up to 62%.

The work focused on the communities of Bedminster, Bernards and Bernardsville and included upgrades to underground and overhead distribution lines, expanded vegetation management, installation of distribution automation and sectionalizing devices to improve outage isolation and service restoration.

In The Hills neighborhood, where challenging terrain and aging infrastructure had contributed to frequent outages, JCP&L reported measurable reliability gains. The utility said customers in Upper Hills experienced 52% fewer outages and a 65% reduction in total outage duration, while Lower Hills saw outages decrease by 38% and total outage time drop by 56%.

In Bernardsville, JCP&L rebuilt power lines that were damaged by a 2023 tornado. The utility replaced older infrastructure with stronger lines and relocated portions of the system from difficult-to-access areas along railroad tracks to improve access for maintenance crews and speed future restoration efforts. According to the company, outages in the area have declined by 32%, and restoration times have improved by 62%.

The Somerset County projects are part of broader grid modernization efforts across New Jersey. JCP&L invested more than $1 billion in capital improvements during the past year and plans to invest an additional $6.9 billion in the state through 2030 as part of FirstEnergy's Energize365 investment program.