A significant infrastructure upgrade has been completed in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, aimed at improving electric service reliability for 2,300 customers in Unity and Hempfield townships. FirstEnergy Pennsylvania Electric Company (FE PA), operating as West Penn Power in the region and a subsidiary of FirstEnergy Corp., rebuilt a key section of its local power grid to reduce outages and support area growth.
The project included installing a one-mile stretch of new, larger wire along White School Road between Dry Ridge Fire Station and Sawmill Road. This upgrade is expected to help carry more electricity and decrease outage frequency, accommodating additional homes and businesses. The work also involved replacing 10 utility poles, 22 crossarms, several transformers, and other hardware components.
According to John Hawkins, President of FirstEnergy Pennsylvania: “We’re energized to deliver these vital upgrades, bringing more reliable, resilient electric service that can better handle severe weather. The new equipment not only allows us to restore power faster during storms and maintenance – it reflects an investment in a stronger grid that empowers our communities to grow.”
Other improvements from the project include clearing branches and trees near new pole locations to reduce outage risk and installing a manual switch on the line so crews can isolate damage more easily and reroute power for quicker repairs.
Residents in neighborhoods such as Jamell Acres, Glenn-Aire, Mountain Laurel, East High Acres, Country Estates, Timbercrest housing plans, as well as areas around Route 30 are set to benefit from the upgrades. Approximately 1,500 customers in West Point and Eastgate areas of Hempfield Township will also see improved service due to the switching work.
Work began in May and was finished several weeks ago. Photos showing the newly installed poles and crews working along White School Road are available on Flickr.
This initiative builds on earlier steps taken by West Penn Power in 2024 when wildlife guards were installed on heavily wooded lines to prevent animal-related outages. The recent upgrades form part of FE PA’s Long Term Infrastructure Improvement Plan (LTIIP) III—a $368 million investment focused on electric system reliability within West Penn Power’s service area.
The LTIIP is one element of Energize365—FirstEnergy’s broader $28 billion program running from 2025 through 2029—which aims to modernize the electric grid across multiple states with an emphasis on building a smarter and more secure network for current customers while supporting future growth needs.
West Penn Power serves about 725,000 customers across 24 counties in central and southwestern Pennsylvania. More information about the company can be found at firstenergycorp.com or by following @FirstEnergyCorp on X.
For media inquiries contact Todd Meyers at (724) 838-6650; for investor relations contact Karen Sagot at (330) 761-4286.
