With the hot, humid summer months expected to produce higher electric usage and potentially severe weather, FirstEnergy Pennsylvania Electric Company (FE PA), a subsidiary of FirstEnergy Corp. doing business as Penn Power in western Pennsylvania, is completing inspections and conducting proactive equipment maintenance across its service area to help enhance service reliability for customers.
John Hawkins, FirstEnergy's President, Pennsylvania, stated: "We proactively inspect and maintain our equipment to help ensure our system is prepared for increased electrical demand when temperatures climb. These important measures will also help to minimize the length and impact of service interruptions should summer storms cause power outages."
Penn Power crews are finalizing inspections of its local energy delivery system to ensure electrical equipment is ready to perform reliably with elevated summer electrical demand, typically due to air conditioning usage.
Substation electricians use thermovision cameras during summer-readiness inspections to capture infrared images, helping detect potential problems within substations and on power lines that cannot be observed during regular visual inspections. These images can identify equipment issues such as loose connections, corrosion, and load imbalances, allowing utility workers to make repairs to prevent potential power outages in the future.
A video on the company's YouTube channel showcases utility personnel conducting a thermovision inspection.
Additionally, helicopter patrols have completed inspections of more than 300 miles of power lines owned by American Transmission Systems, Inc. (ATSI), a FirstEnergy Corp. transmission subsidiary located in the Penn Power area. The inspections identify damaged wire, broken cross arms, and other hardware problems not visible from the ground. Any potential reliability issues identified during the inspections will be addressed.
Since the beginning of the year, tree contractors have trimmed along 400 miles of power lines as part of FirstEnergy's vegetation management program in the Penn Power area. Work remains on schedule to complete an additional 840 miles by the end of the year. Maintaining proper clearances around electrical equipment is critical for providing safe, reliable electric service and can help reduce the frequency and duration of tree-related power outages.
Trees are being trimmed in these counties and communities:
- Allegheny – Warrendale, Wexford
- Beaver – Beaver Falls
- Butler – Cranberry Township, Mars, Zelienople
- Crawford – Conneaut Lake, Hartstown
- Lawrence – Ellwood City, New Castle, New Wilmington, Pulaski, Wampum
- Mercer – Greenville, Jamestown, West Middlesex, Wheatland
In addition to equipment inspections and maintenance, Penn Power recently conducted storm-readiness exercises and drills to test the restoration process used to repair storm-related power outages. Storm drills are becoming more common in the utility industry following severe weather over recent years.
With the summer storm season also comes higher-than-usual temperatures and rising energy costs. Customers can take steps to manage their electricity bills this summer by setting thermostats as high as comfort allows; using fans; closing drapes or blinds on sunny windows; using programmable thermostats; sealing leaks with caulk or weather stripping; checking air conditioner filters; avoiding heat-producing appliances during peak hours; and exploring payment arrangements or assistance programs available at firstenergycorp.com/billassist.
Penn Power serves approximately 173,000 customers in all or parts of Allegheny, Beaver, Butler, Crawford, Lawrence and Mercer counties in western Pennsylvania. Follow Penn Power on X @Penn_Power on Facebook at facebook.com/PennPower and online at pennpower.com.
FirstEnergy’s electric distribution companies form one of the nation's largest investor-owned electric systems serving customers across multiple states including Ohio and Pennsylvania. Its transmission subsidiaries operate approximately 24 thousand miles of transmission lines connecting Midwest and Mid-Atlantic regions. Follow FirstEnergy online at firstenergycorp.com and on X @FirstEnergyCorp.
Photos of workers conducting thermovision inspections are available for download on Flickr.
News Media Contact: Todd Meyers (724) 838-6650;
Investor Relations Contact: Gina Caskey (330) 761-4185