Northeast Ohio Electric Grid Stronger and More Resilient Following Power Line Enhancements

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Mar 28, 2024, 10:03 ET

Project will enhance reliability for 5,000 FirstEnergy customers in Lake and Geauga counties

AKRON, Ohio, March 28, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- American Transmission Systems, Inc. (ATSI), a subsidiary of FirstEnergy Corp. (NYSE: FE), has upgraded 16 miles of two high-voltage power lines in Ohio's Lake and Geauga counties, stringing new wires with increased capacity for carrying electricity. The project is expected to strengthen the regional transmission system and enhance service reliability for nearly 5,000 customers of The Illuminating Company, a FirstEnergy company.

The two 138-kilovolt power lines share 119 transmission towers and connect two area substations, running southwest 16 miles from Leroy Township through Hambden, Chardon, Munson and Chester townships. The new wires help reduce the risk of overloads on the lines by allowing them to carry increased power flow in the event of unplanned service interruptions on other transmission lines.

Carl Bridenbaugh, FirstEnergy's Vice President of Transmission: "This line upgrade will reinforce our transmission system and help provide us with the flexibility we need to continue delivering reliable power to customers in Northeast Ohio."

As part of the approximately $15.5 million project, ATSI also installed new components and insulators along the route to support the wires. Helicopter crews performed most of the equipment upgrades along the section. Performing the work with helicopters is faster and more efficient than using ground crews, which requires 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 240-foot-wide transmission corridor hosts multiple power lines, and last year, ATSI upgraded an 8-mile section of two separate 138-kilovolt lines between Leroy Township and Chardon Township. A second phase of that upgrade project is planned for the fall of 2024.

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.

The project 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 $26 billion between 2024 and 2028, the program will create 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.

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, formerly known as Twitter, @FirstEnergyCorp.

SOURCE FirstEnergy Corp.