Jersey Central Power & Light (JCP&L), a subsidiary of FirstEnergy Corp., has received approval from the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities to advance its EnergizeNJ infrastructure investment program. The initiative aims to expand smart grid technology across northern and central New Jersey.
JCP&L plans to invest over $202.5 million over 3.5 years starting July 1. The objective is to upgrade the electric distribution grid by incorporating more automated and remotely controlled devices.
Doug Mokoid, President of FirstEnergy in New Jersey, stated: "JCP&L is committed to making smart, responsible investments in our infrastructure that enhance the reliability our customers expect and deserve as well as the safety of our crews in the field. EnergizeNJ will allow us to reduce the length and number of customers affected by outage events and protect our line workers who are on the front lines of restoring power."
The EnergizeNJ program comprises multiple initiatives:
- More than $20.4 million will be spent on grid modernization, replacing solid fuses with TripSaver II devices.
- The System Resiliency program will allocate over $128.9 million to optimize circuits and install remotely controlled circuit ties.
- Substation modernization includes upgrading protection relays and installing new devices for better operational data.
Additional investments of at least $132 million will be made during the program, including over $18 million to replace components at coastal substations and nearly $9 million for new mobile substations.
The program ensures customer bills are minimally affected by charging only as work is completed. For a typical residential customer, the total bill impact is expected to be $0.86 per month. The program will also seek potential federal funding to offset these impacts.
EnergizeNJ is part of Energize365, a larger grid evolution program with planned investments of $28 billion between 2025 and 2029. It focuses on creating a smarter and more secure grid to accommodate new energy demands and technologies.
JCP&L serves 1.1 million customers across multiple New Jersey counties. FirstEnergy serves over six million customers across several states and operates a vast network of transmission lines.
News Media Contact: Chris Hoenig, (609) 350-8599
Investor Contact: Karen Sagot, (330) 761-4286