Work Underway to Boost Power System for FirstEnergy Customers in Cranberry Township

NEW CASTLE, Pa., March 20, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- FirstEnergy Pennsylvania Electric Company (FE PA), a FirstEnergy Corp. (NYSE: FE) subsidiary doing business as Penn Power in western Pennsylvania, is replacing underground cable and related equipment to enhance electric service reliability for customers in a Butler County residential neighborhood.

John Hawkins, FirstEnergy President, Pennsylvania: "We are investing in modern, durable underground cable with an expected lifespan of 40 years which should provide decades of reliable electric service for our Penn Power customers. The new cable will be placed in plastic PVC conduit to protect the line from water damage and corrosive soil elements. This method also enhances our crews' ability to quickly access and repair wires, which can shorten the duration of service interruptions for our customers."

Company crews will replace more than five miles of underground electric cable that has delivered electricity to homes in Cranberry Township along Leatherbark Road, Briarwood Lane and Valley View Drive for more than 30 years. The new cable will be placed within the right of way adjacent to the existing line. Crews will also assess the condition of transformers and other equipment and replace those components as necessary.

To minimize impact to driveways, sidewalks and landscaping, contractors will bore horizontally beneath the ground wherever possible to lay conduit for the new cable. Areas with unmarked utilities or hard surfaces may require some trenching. The work is expected to be completed this summer.

Photos of underground cable conduit and a boring machine are available for download on Flickr.

A few short, planned outages may be needed to transfer customers from the old cable to the new system as the project moves forward. Impacted customers and public officials would be notified in advance of any scheduled outages.

The project is part of FirstEnergy Pennsylvania's Long Term Infrastructure Improvement Plan (LTIIP III), which includes a $133 million initiative to accelerate capital investments in the Penn Power electric distribution system over five years to help ensure continued electric service reliability for customers.

LTIIP III is part of Energize365, a multi-year grid evolution program focused on transmission and distribution investments that will deliver the power FirstEnergy's customers depend on today while also meeting the challenges of tomorrow. With planned investments of $28 billion between 2025 and 2029, the program is creating a smarter, more secure grid that will meet and exceed reliability targets and accommodate electric vehicles, the electrification of homes and businesses, and clean energy sources.

Penn Power serves approximately 173,000 customers in all or parts of Allegheny, Beaver, Butler, Crawford, Lawrence and Mercer counties in western Pennsylvania. Follow Penn Power on X @Penn_Power, on Facebook at facebook.com/PennPower, and online at pennpower.com.

FirstEnergy is dedicated to integrity, safety, reliability and operational excellence. Its electric distribution companies form one of the nation's largest investor-owned electric systems, serving more than six million 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 firstenergycorp.com and on X @FirstEnergyCorp.

SOURCE FirstEnergy Corp.