FirstEnergy Completes Eight-Mile Transmission Line Upgrade in Northeastern Ohio

Project will strengthen grid and enhance reliability for 7,000 area customers

AKRON, Ohio, Aug. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- American Transmission Systems, Inc. (ATSI), a subsidiary of FirstEnergy Corp. (NYSE: FE), has upgraded eight miles of two high-voltage power lines in Lake and Geauga counties in Ohio, stringing new wires that can handle additional demand if other lines in the region are out of service. The project will strengthen the regional transmission system and enhance service reliability for 7,000 customers of The Illuminating Company.

The two 138-kilovolt power lines share 63 transmission towers along the eight-mile section and run from the Leroy Center Substation in Leroy Township through Concord Township in Lake County and Hambden and Chardon townships in Geauga County. The new wires installed will reduce the risk of overloads on the lines, which are now able to carry increased power flow in the event of unplanned service interruptions on other transmission lines.

As part of the $7 million project, ATSI also installed new components and insulators as needed along the route to support the wires. Helicopter crews performed the majority of the upgrades along the eight-mile section. Helicopter crews can perform the work faster and more efficiently than ground crews, which require the creation of access roads for large trucks and equipment.

The project was identified in conjunction with PJM, the electric grid operator for FirstEnergy's service territory, as part of its reliability planning analysis. The upgraded segment serves the Pawnee Substation, which delivers power to approximately 7,000 customers of The Illuminating Company.

The project is part of Energizing the Future, a multi-year initiative designed to upgrade FirstEnergy's transmission system with advanced equipment and technologies that will reinforce the power grid and help reduce the frequency and duration of customer outages. Since 2014, FirstEnergy has upgraded or replaced existing power lines, incorporated smart technology into the grid and upgraded dozens of substations with new equipment and enhanced security features. Through 2022, FirstEnergy had invested more than $10 billion in the Energizing the Future initiative.

A second phase of the project that extends an additional eight miles to the Mayfield Substation in Chester Township, Geauga County, is planned for 2024. This fall, ATSI also will be upgrading two transmission lines on parallel structures in the corridor that run 16 miles from the Leroy Center Substation to the Mayfield Substation.

ATSI provides transmission services in Ohio and in the western portion of Pennsylvania and owns or maintains more than 8,100 miles of transmission lines, substations and other facilities.

FirstEnergy is dedicated to integrity, safety, reliability and operational excellence. Its 10 electric distribution companies form one of the nation's largest investor-owned electric systems, serving customers in Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, West Virginia, Maryland and New York. The company's transmission subsidiaries operate approximately 24,000 miles of transmission lines that connect the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic regions. Follow FirstEnergy online at www.firstenergycorp.com and on Twitter @FirstEnergyCorp.

SOURCE FirstEnergy Corp.