READING, Pa., Dec. 1, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Metropolitan Edison
Company (Met-Ed) is completing work on approximately $7.5 million of electric system projects as part
of its 2016 Long-Term Infrastructure Improvement Plan to reduce the
number and duration of service interruptions experienced by the
company's 560,000 customers.
The projects include installing enhanced protective devices on
wires and poles, replacing or upgrading electric lines, adding
other special equipment, and installing automated and remote
control devices.
"These projects benefit customers by complementing the work we
already do each year to enhance the reliability of our electric
system," said Ed Shuttleworth,
regional president of Met-Ed. "Our goal is to make our system
the best it can be when it comes to limiting the number of outages
our customers experience."
Met-Ed's Long-Term Infrastructure Improvement Plan was approved
earlier this year by the Pennsylvania Public Utility
Commission. This five-year, $43-million program will target distribution
infrastructure projects to enhance service reliability in the
Met-Ed area through 2020.
Projects completed this year in the Met-Ed service area
include:
- Replacement of more than 1,600 porcelain protective switches on
poles and wires with new polymer devices. The switches –
known as "cutouts" – automatically open up when a system
irregularity is detected, serving to protect the electrical
equipment and limit the number of customers affected by an
outage. In 2016, protective switches were replaced on six
circuits primarily in Boyertown,
Reading, Easton and York.
- Addition of new connection points where circuits come together,
along with installing new devices, such as fuses and automated
switches, to help limit the number of customers affected when an
outage occurs. The work is designed to enhance reliability
for Met-Ed customers in the Boyertown area.
- Installation of radio-controlled switches on electric circuits.
These devices can be operated remotely from the company
dispatch center, allowing operators to restore power more quickly
and efficiently than dispatching a crew to investigate.
Met-Ed is completing this work at almost 70 locations throughout
its service area.
- Completion of a major line upgrade project in the Stroudsburg area. This work included
installing news poles, wire, and other equipment as needed.
In addition, cable was replaced on another circuit in the
Stroudsburg area to enhance
circuit performance.
- Replacement of 4,300 feet of cable in a Reading-area underground development.
- Installation of more than 1,000 new fuses on 91 circuits
throughout Met-Ed's service area.
In 2017, Met-Ed is expected to spend an additional $9 million on similar Long-Term Infrastructure
Improvement Plan projects.
Met-Ed, a subsidiary of FirstEnergy Corp. (NYSE: FE), serves
approximately 560,000 customers in 15 Pennsylvania counties.
Follow Met-Ed on Twitter @Met Ed and on Facebook at
www.facebook.com/MetEdElectric.
FirstEnergy is dedicated to 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 more than 24,000 miles
of transmission lines that connect the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic
regions. Follow FirstEnergy on Twitter @FirstEnergyCorp or
online at www.firstenergycorp.com.
Editor's Note: Photos of some of the equipment that
was installed as part of Met-Ed's 2016 Long-Term Infrastructure
Improvement Plan are available for download on Flickr.
To view the original version on PR Newswire,
visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/met-ed-completing-long-term-infrastructure-improvement-plan-300371437.html
SOURCE FirstEnergy Corp.