Stronger power for rural Pennsylvania communities
Upgraded infrastructure aims to improve reliability in Venango and Crawford Counties.
Image for illustration purposes
USA, Pennsylvania: FirstEnergy Pennsylvania Electric Company (FE PA), operating as Penelec in parts of northern and central Pennsylvania, has finalized a major electric system upgrade in Venango and Crawford counties. This initiative is aimed at improving service reliability for around 1,000 customers in Cochranton, Utica, Polk, and neighboring areas, particularly during extreme weather events.
The recently completed work involved the reconstruction of a key 13-mile, 34.5 kV power line linking substations along Route 322 near Utica and in Polk. Crews replaced 42 aging wooden poles, 53 crossarms, nearly 700 porcelain insulators, and installed updated fuses and switches. These improvements strengthen a line that has historically faced equipment-related service interruptions.
As part of the project, an older manual switch near Utica was replaced with a new remote-controlled device, enabling faster response times and reducing the need for on-site work during outages. Additionally, the inclusion of two new isolation switches allows crews to reroute power more efficiently during repairs, minimizing downtime for customers.
This upgrade is part of Penelec’s Long Term Infrastructure Improvement Plan (LTIIP III), a $538 M investment under the broader Energize365 initiative, which focuses on modernizing FirstEnergy’s power delivery system across its service area.
Source: T&D World
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