FirstEnergy to invest $235 million on infrastructure with projects in Greene, Washington counties
FirstEnergy Corp., the parent company of West Penn Power, said it plans to invest $235 million in its subsidiary’s 24-county service area.
The investment includes building a transmission line — at a cost of $1 million — to provide electric service to a new section of a coal mine near Mount Morris in Greene County. FirstEnergy said the new line will interconnect with an existing transmission line and is scheduled to be in service by fall.
“Our goal is to pursue transmission and distribution projects that not only enhance service to our existing customers but also prepare our system to accommodate future economic growth,” said David McDonald, president of Greensburg-based West Penn Power in a statement. “Proactive upgrades to our distribution system include the installation of automated and remote devices designed to reduce the number and duration of service disruptions our customers might experience.”
In Washington County, FirstEnergy said it will complete a new transmission substation near Burgettstown. The $40 million project includes specialized voltage-regulating equipment designed to respond to real-time electrical conditions. More than 40,000 West Penn customers in Washington and Allegheny counties will benefit from this project, the company said. The substation should be operational by mid-2017.
Also planned for Washington County is the construction of a $4 million transmission line. The 1.3-mile line will provide electrical service to a natural gas processing facility under development in Smith Township.
FirstEnergy said it will invest $21 million on reliability projects throughout the 24 counties. Separately, the company said it plans to spend nearly $5 million to speed up power restoration to customers following an outage. Plus, it will spend $3 million in fault-monitoring equipment to locate problems on its lines more quickly and inspect 36,000 utility poles and replace or reinforce about 240 poles a year at a cost of $1.2 million.
“We have to get to each pole in our service area once every 12 years,” West Penn Power spokesman Todd Meyers said. “Those poles are out there year-round, and we need to make sure they are holding up.”
West Penn Power serves 720,000 customers in 24 counties, including Greene, Fayette, Washington and Westmoreland counties.