The Illuminating Company, a FirstEnergy Corp. electric utility, has completed the installation and energization of a second transformer at its Lakewood Substation in Lakewood, Ohio, four months ahead of schedule.

The approximately 55-ton transformer was transported from a local service center to the substation on Athens Avenue earlier this month. Crews completed installation and testing before placing the transformer into service this week. The first transformer was delivered and energized earlier this year.

Together, the two transformers increase the substation's capacity and give system operators additional flexibility to manage electricity flow and respond to outages.

“Customers want reliable power and they want to know we're making progress on our commitment to strengthen reliability in Lakewood,” said Torrence Hinton, President of FirstEnergy Ohio. “Completing this work ahead of schedule is a meaningful milestone that strengthens the system and supports the homes and businesses that depend on it every day.”

Additional Capacity and Outage Response

Transformers help deliver electricity to homes and businesses. With both units in service, system operators have more options for rerouting power during outages, which can help restore service faster and reduce the effects of equipment problems.

The additional capacity also allows circuits from the Lakewood Substation to support customers served by neighboring substations when needed, helping limit the impact of outages across the area.

Although the upgrades cannot prevent all outages, they provide additional capacity and operational flexibility to support service reliability and response efforts.

Each transformer represents an investment of approximately $1.85 million, including equipment, transportation and installation costs. The project is part of The Illuminating Company's ongoing work to upgrade the local electric system.

The company maintains a project map showing completed improvements, ongoing projects and planned investments in the Lakewood area. The map is available here.

The Illuminating Company serves more than 750,000 customers across Ashtabula, Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake and Lorain counties.