New Illuminating Company Power Line to Improve Reliability for Avon Lake Customers

AKRON, Ohio, Jan. 29, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The Illuminating Company, a subsidiary of FirstEnergy Corp. (NYSE: FE), is constructing a new neighborhood power line that will help enhance electric service reliability for hundreds of customers in Lorain County, particularly during severe weather.

A video of FirstEnergy personnel explaining and performing this electrical work can be found on FirstEnergy's YouTube channel.

The new line will help prevent or minimize the impact of outages caused by wind and other factors by connecting about 700 customers in Avon Lake to a different, upgraded substation nearby. This substation includes automated reclosing devices to help limit the frequency, duration and scope of service interruptions.

The electrical devices work like a circuit breaker in a home that shuts off power when trouble occurs, with the added benefit of automatically reenergizing a substation or power line within seconds for certain types of outages to keep power safely flowing to customers. This technology is safer and more efficient because it often allows utility personnel to automatically restore service to customers instead of sending a crew to investigate.

Torrence Hinton, FirstEnergy's Ohio President: "This project is one of many targeted investments our company is making in local communities to continue delivering reliable and safe power to our customers. We have dozens of similar projects in the works that will make a large positive impact on the communities we serve."

Illuminating Company crews also began installing about 90 new utility poles at the end of 2024 and expect to fully complete the project in June 2026. The company is also replacing a mile of aged underground wire as a part of the job.

This work is part of Energize365, FirstEnergy's grid evolution program focused on investing $26 billion between 2024 and 2028 across its six-state footprint to create a smarter, more secure grid that delivers the power customers depend on today while also meeting the challenges of tomorrow.

The Illuminating Company serves more than 750,000 customers across Ashtabula, Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake and Lorain counties. Follow The Illuminating Company on X @IlluminatingCo and on Facebook at facebook.com/IlluminatingCo.

FirstEnergy is dedicated to integrity, safety, reliability and operational excellence. Its electric distribution companies form one of the nation's largest investor-owned electric systems, serving more than six million customers in Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, West Virginia, Maryland and New York. The company's transmission subsidiaries operate more than 24,000 miles of transmission lines that connect the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic regions. Follow FirstEnergy online at firstenergycorp.com and on X @FirstEnergyCorp.

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SOURCE FirstEnergy Corp.