New transformer installed in downtown Lebanon should alleviate chronic power outages

FirstEnergy Pennsylvania Electric Company announced Friday morning that they recently energized a new transformer at the substation near Third and Willow streets in Lebanon. The new substation is designed to enhance electric service reliability for more than 7,000 customers in the city, North Lebanon Township and West Lebanon Township.

This new instillation was finished in time to handle increased electrical demand for the remainder of this hot summer and upcoming winter, according to Met-Ed spokesperson Todd Meyers.

"Crews logged long hours through several heat waves to safely perform the work, and we appreciate the patience of our Lebanon customers who experienced outages associated with the failure of the transformer," he said in an email to the Lebanon Daily News.

The substation’s previous transformer experienced a failure in early June and could not be repaired, according to officials. Met-Ed’s substation near Third and Willow streets supplies electricity to the underground distribution network that powers much of Lebanon’s core downtown

A mobile substation provided temporary service to customers in the area until the new transformer was installed to help ensure long-term grid stability.

"Large substation transformers like these remain difficult to source with long lead times for manufacturers to build and deliver," Meyers said.

Lebanon residents experienced multiple power outages throughout the summer as the repairs were being completed. Causes for the outages stemmed from animals interacting with the equipment to environmental factors, including high winds and tree branches.

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Crews worked extended hours for three weeks to connect the transformer before testing and calibrating the unit to ensure it functioned properly. The transformer was energized in late July, and the mobile substation has been disconnected.

The new transformer measures 13-feet tall by 12-feet wide and weighs more than 100,000 pounds, with a large crane hoisting the unit over the substation fence and onto a concrete foundation.

More investments are planned in nearby West Lebanon at another Met-Ed substation to install another new transformer, according to Meyers. The transformer is expected to arrive in the next 18 to 24 months.

Met-Ed serves approximately 592,000 customers within 3,300 square miles of eastern and southeastern Pennsylvania.

Matthew Toth is a reporter for the Lebanon Daily News. Reach him at mtoth@ldnews.com or on X at @DAMattToth .

This article originally appeared on Lebanon Daily News: New transformer installed in downtown Lebanon should alleviate chronic power outages