JCP&L Upgrading Transmission Power Lines in Monmouth County

New poles, wires and equipment to benefit 50,000 customers

MORRISTOWN, N.J., Nov. 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Jersey Central Power & Light (JCP&L), a subsidiary of FirstEnergy Corp. (NYSE: FE), has started construction on two projects that will upgrade 19 miles of transmission power lines in the Monmouth County area, helping enhance reliability for 50,000 customers.

Totaling $53 million in new investments, the projects will replace the existing wires, hardware and structures that have been in place since the 1970s with new poles, wires and equipment to help reinforce the electric grid and prevent or reduce the duration of customer outages.

JCP&L is upgrading nearly six miles of an existing 34.5-kilovolt power line running east from a substation in Middletown Township, New Jersey, to a substation in Union Beach Borough, New Jersey. A second set of wires, known as a circuit, is being installed along the line for redundancy and operational flexibility. Approximately 20,600 customers will benefit from this work, which is expected to be complete in May 2023.

JCP&L is also replacing 13 miles of an existing 34.5-kilovolt line that runs northeast from a substation in Colts Neck Township, New Jersey, to a substation in Matawan Borough, New Jersey, and will reconfigure the line to have two independent circuits. This work is expected to be complete in December 2023 and will benefit 29,200 customers.

For both projects, having two independent circuits allows JCP&L to keep customers in service if one of the circuits is deenergized for maintenance. It will also help reduce outage durations by providing a secondary source of power and additional capacity to serve customer demand.

"These upgrades to our lines and equipment will help to fortify our transmission system and ensure that we can continue to meet the current and future needs of the customers we serve in the Monmouth County area," said Jim Fakult, president of New Jersey Operations for FirstEnergy.

The two projects are part of Energizing the Future, a multi-year, $7 billion initiative designed to upgrade FirstEnergy's transmission system with advanced equipment and technologies that will reinforce the power grid and help reduce the frequency and duration of customer outages. Since 2014, FirstEnergy has upgraded or replaced existing power lines, incorporated smart technology into the grid and upgraded dozens of substations with new equipment and enhanced security features.

JCP&L serves 1.1 million customers in the counties of Burlington, Essex, Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth, Morris, Ocean, Passaic, Somerset, Sussex, Union and Warren. Follow JCP&L on Twitter @JCP_L, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/JCPandL or online at www.jcp-l.com.

FirstEnergy is dedicated to integrity, 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 24,000 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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SOURCE FirstEnergy Corp.