FirstEnergy Corp. unveiled a plan Feb. 28 for its regulated subsidiaries to invest a combined approximately $2.55 billion in 2018 on distribution and transmission infrastructure projects to enhance customer reliability in Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Virginia.
Most of the upgrades will include constructing new substations and transmission lines, installing equipment in existing substations, adding remote control equipment on circuits, and inspecting and replacing utility poles.
Jersey Central Power & Light Co. expects to complete about $357 million in infrastructure projects and other work to upgrade reliability for its 1.1 million customers across 13 counties in northern and central New Jersey. The projects include replacing 40 automated control units at various substations, underground and overhead circuit improvements in Morris County, replacing 24 substation circuit breakers to automatically disconnect from the system when problems occur, upgrading more than 90 circuits, and replacing distribution oil-filled circuit breakers and installing new "smart" equipment at 54 sites on the distribution system.
Metropolitan Edison Co. has approximately $348 million of projects slated for 2018, which include rebuilding 27-miles of 69-kV transmission line in Berks County at a cost of $23.8 million, adding new connection points; relocating electrical equipment for various highway and roadway; and spending approximately $1 million to replace porcelain protective switches on wires with new polymer devices. About $167 million of the budgeted total will be spent on transmission-related projects owned by FirstEnergy subsidiary Mid-Atlantic Interstate Transmission. Metropolitan Edison serves over 560,000 customers in 15 Pennsylvania counties.
West Penn Power Co. will spend about $268 million to improve transmission reliability across its 24-county service territory in Pennsylvania. The projects include upgrading equipment on 217 distribution circuits throughout the service territory, providing underground electrical service to support the initial phase of a new 2 million square-foot commercial development in South Fayette Township, inspecting about 62,400 utility poles and replacing or reinforcing about 408 poles, and replacing underground cable throughout the distribution system. The project will help reinforce the electric system and support economic growth, including the shale gas industry.
Pennsylvania Power Co. plans to invest about $66 million on distribution and transmission projects, which include building a new 138-kV modular substation and 3.5 miles of distribution lines to establish a circuit loop; replacing 345-kV, 138-kV and 69-kV circuit breakers; and continuing work to sectionalize six circuits across Penn Power's service area into smaller segments. The utility said about $21 million of the total spend will be for transmission projects owned by American Transmission Systems Inc. Penn Power serves over 160,000 customers in all or parts of Allegheny, Beaver, Butler, Crawford, Lawrence, and Mercer counties in western Pennsylvania.
Pennsylvania Electric Co. will spend $453 million to upgrade service for its 590,000 customers in 31 Pennsylvania counties. According to the plan, the utility will install voltage-regulating equipment in Susquehanna County, add four 230-kV circuit breakers at a substation in Mifflin County, spend about $1 million to replace porcelain protective switches on distribution wires and enhance multiple substations at a cost of $5.5 million. Approximately $259 million of the budgeted total will be spent on transmission-related projects owned by Mid-Atlantic Interstate Transmission and Trans-Allegheny Interstate Line Co.
Toledo Edison Co. plans to invest about $111 million on infrastructure projects, which include installing voltage-regulating equipment at a substation in Oregon and new circuit breakers as well as smart technologies at a substation in Perrysburg, ongoing installation of fiber optic cable, adding high-voltage infrastructure to accommodate load growth, and developing new underground and overhead infrastructure at a cost of $550,000. The projects would aid more than 300,000 of Toledo Edison's customers in northwest Ohio. More than $61 million of the budgeted total will be spent on transmission-related projects owned by American Transmission Systems Inc.
Cleveland Electric Illuminating Co. plans to invest about $202 million to enhance service reliability for more than 750,000 of it customers across Ashtabula, Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake and Lorain counties of Ohio. Approximately $57 million of the budgeted total is expected to be spent on transmission-related projects owned by American Transmission Systems Inc. Projects also include installing security and electrical protective equipment, adding remote control equipment to reduce outage durations and relocating equipment as part of road projects.
Ohio Edison Co. expects to spend about $397 million to enhance reliability for the more than one million customers across 34 Ohio counties. More than $237 million of the budgeted total will be spent on transmission-related projects owned by American Transmission Systems Inc.
Potomac Edison Co. has slated about $156 million of projects to enhance grid reliability, including ongoing work to provide electrical service to the under-construction Procter & Gamble consumer products manufacturing plant and upgrading equipment on 269 distribution circuits throughout Potomac Edison's service area. About $8 million of the budgeted total will be for transmission-related projects owned by the Trans-Allegheny Interstate Line Co. The utility serves more than 265,000 customers in seven Maryland counties and about 140,000 customers in the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia.
Monongahela Power Co. will invest approximately $189 million to improve electric infrastructure for its 385,000 customers in 34 West Virginia counties. Projects include installing a new transformer and related distribution lines, relocating about a half-mile stretch of a transmission line that runs from Elkins and building a half-mile transmission line connecting an existing Mon Power line to a new transmission switching substation that will be constructed by AEP near Linden Road in Roane County, and replacing five sets of disconnect switches on 138-kV circuit breakers in numerous transmission substations. About $9 million of the budgeted total will be for transmission-related projects owned by the Trans-Allegheny Interstate Line Co.
