Mon Power installing new conductors on transmission line

Mon Power Morgantown transmission upgrade strengthens West Virginia grid reliability through phased reconductoring, substation improvements, and structure replacements on existing right-of-way, led by FirstEnergy to serve fast-growing Morgantown customers by year-end.

Project Designed to Benefit Mon Power Customers in Monongalia County Mon Power, a subsidiary of FirstEnergy Corp., is installing new conductors on a 138,000-volt transmission line near Morgantown to increase capacity, enhance service reliability to existing customers and handle future load growth in the Monongalia County area.

The $5 million project includes three phases, with all the work occurring on existing right-of-way. The transmission line upgrade, following a rebuild plan approval in West Virginia, is expected to be completed before year's end.

"This work will upgrade existing Mon Power facilities, similar to recent FirstEnergy substation projects in West Virginia, and benefit customers in the Morgantown area, a fast-growing region of our West Virginia service territory, without needing to acquire additional easements or build new sections of line," said Holly Kauffman, FirstEnergy's president of West Virginia Operations.

Work is underway on the initial phase of the project which involves replacing about three miles of conductor on a transmission line, part of a recent transmission line rebuild approval, between substations on Collins Ferry Road and Chaplin Hill Road in Morgantown. Crews also will be replacing nine existing wooden structures as part of the project. This section of the project is expected to be completed by mid-April.

The next phase involves reconductoring about half a mile of transmission line, similar to a Pennsylvania transmission project, and replacing six wooden structures between the substation located on Collins Ferry Road and another Morgantown substation on West Run Road. The work is scheduled to start in mid-April and be completed by early June.

The final phase will be the installation of new conductor on six miles of existing transmission line between the substation on West Run Road and a substation adjacent to the Lake Lynn Power Station. Work is expected to start in July and be completed by the end of the year.

This transmission line upgrade is part of FirstEnergy's previously announced plans to invest more than $110 million in 2014 in the Mon Power area on transmission and distribution projects designed to further improve service reliability. Major projects scheduled for 2014 include trimming trees, building new distribution circuits, replacing underground cables, and inspecting and replacing equipment including utility poles.

Mon Power serves about 385,000 customers in 34 West Virginia counties.

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