Enhancements should reduce 400 customers’ outages
Newsroom@DominionPost.com
FAIRMONT — Mon Power, a subsidiary of FirstEnergy Corp. recently completed enhancements to its local electric lines in south Morgantown that are designed to help reduce the number of customers impacted by outages by more than 400. The company also is starting work on a similar project that aims to enhance operational flexibility and reliable service for 900 customers in the Fairmont area.
Over the past two months, Mon Power has been working south of the interchange between Interstates 68 and 79 in Morgantown to add a new power line connecting approximately 440 residential customers in the Goshen Road area to an alternate circuit. The project, which included the replacement of more than 40 utility poles, provides a backup power feed that will help keep the lights on for customers if wires or equipment on their regular lines are damaged or need to be taken out of service.
“Through projects such as these, we improve the operational flexibility of our system and help reduce the duration and frequency of service interruptions our customers might experience,” said Jim Myers, president of West Virginia operations for FirstEnergy.
In Fairmont, Mon Power is starting work on a similar project that will connect roughly 900 residential customers in southeastern Marion County to an alternate line that serves the central and eastern portions of the county. The project is expected to be complete by the end of the year and will allow Mon Power to provide power to those customers during certain outages until repairs are completed on their circuits. The project will benefit customers in Colfax, Hammond, Levels, Grassy Run, Quiet Dell, Bunners Ridge, Morgan Ridge and Little Creek.
The Morgantown and Fairmont projects each cost about $250,000 and are part of Mon Power’s ongoing commitment to enhance service to its customers while also preparing its system for future economic growth.
Mon Power serves about 385,000 customers in 34 West Virginia counties. Follow Mon Power at www.mon-power.com, on Twitter @MonPowerWV and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/MonPowerWV.
FirstEnergy is dedicated to safety, reliability and operational excellence. Its 10 electric distribution companies form one of the nation’s largest investor-owned electric systems, serving customers in Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey,
West Virginia, Maryland and New York. The company’s transmission subsidiaries operate approximately 24,500 miles of transmission lines that connect the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic regions. Follow FirstEnergy online at www.firstenergycorp.com and on Twitter @FirstEnergyCorp.
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