FirstEnergy Corp. subsidiaries Mon Power and Potomac Edison are actively engaged in tree trimming and vegetation management work across West Virginia to improve electric service reliability and prevent power outages. Jim Myers, President of FirstEnergy’s West Virginia Operations, emphasized the importance of tree trimming in reducing tree-related service interruptions, stating, “Since trees are the leading cause of power outages, tree trimming is crucial to our reliability efforts and one of the most effective ways we can reduce the impact of tree-related service interruptions for our customers.”
The $84.7 million tree-trimming program this year aims to keep power flowing to customers and prevent tree-related outages during the spring and summer storm season. Contractors have already trimmed trees along nearly 1,100 miles of power lines in West Virginia, with plans to complete an additional 6,800 miles of work by the end of the year. Similar maintenance work is conducted annually along high-voltage power lines in the company’s service territory.
The tree-trimming efforts are focused on preserving the health of trees while maintaining safe clearances from power lines. Trees that pose a danger or are diseased may be removed to prevent potential service disruptions. The work is being carried out in various counties and communities across West Virginia, with Mon Power and Potomac Edison collaborating with municipalities to inform them of tree-trimming schedules and notifying customers living in areas along company rights-of-way before vegetation management work is conducted.
Mon Power serves approximately 395,000 customers in 34 West Virginia counties, while Potomac Edison serves about 285,000 customers in Maryland and 155,000 customers in the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia. Both companies provide updates and information on their services through their websites and social media platforms.
FirstEnergy, as a whole, is committed to integrity, safety, reliability, and operational excellence, serving over six million customers across multiple states. The company’s transmission subsidiaries manage around 24,000 miles of transmission lines connecting the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic regions.
For more information about FirstEnergy and its initiatives, visit their website at www.firstenergycorp.com and follow them on social media. Photos of the tree-trimming work near FirstEnergy power lines are available for download on Flickr, and a video explaining the tree-trimming process can be viewed on FirstEnergy’s YouTube channel.
For media inquiries, contact Hannah Catlett at (440) 554-5346, and for investor relations, reach out to Irene Prezelj at (330) 384-3859.
