FirstEnergy Pennsylvania installs smart grid enhancements in York, Adams Counties

Eastern Pennsylvania’s Met-Ed, a FirstEnergy Corp. subsidiary, announced Monday it was installing smart, automated equipment on powerlines in York and Adams counties.

The smart grid will serve more than 24,000 customers, the company said, and will help to prevent power outages, particularly during severe weather.

“These upgrades to our energy delivery system will help prevent or minimize the impact of power outages for our Met-Ed customers in numerous communities across York and Adams counties,” John Hawkins, FirstEnergy’s President, Pennsylvania, said. “This important work is part of our Long-Term Infrastructure Improvement Plan (LTIIP) II, a $153 million initiative to accelerate investments in our Met-Ed system over five years to help ensure continued reliable electric service for our customers.”

Nearly 5,000 customers in Adams County and more than 19,000 customers in York county will benefit from new automated switching devices. The devices allows system operators to have supervisory control and data acquisition technology at key spots on overhead power lines, conveying back to them real-time information about voltage and electric conditions. The devices work like circuit breakers to shut off power when trouble is detected. The devices are safe and more efficient because they help operators isolate damage, limit the number of customers affected and can help pinpoint the location of a problem which in turn helps utility crews speed up power restoration.

The work is part of Energize 365, a $26 billion multi-year grid evolution program. The program will crease smarter, more secure grid that will meet reliability targets and accommodate electric vehicles on the grid, as well as the electrification of homes, businesses and clean energy sources.

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