Partly cloudy. Low 56F. Winds ENE at 5 to 10 mph..

Partly cloudy. Low 56F. Winds ENE at 5 to 10 mph.

Penn Power is doing a months-long project in Mercer and Crawford counties to reinforce its local power grid and prevent lengthy service disruptions, especially during severe weather.

Work includes installation of new, automated equipment and technology in distribution substations and along neighborhood power lines serving more than 15,000 customers in Conneaut Lake, Greenville, Hermitage, West Middlesex, Wheatland and nearby areas.

The work, which started in April, is expected to be completed this fall.

It’s part of Penn Power’s second phase Long Term Infrastructure Improvement Plan (LTIIP II), approved by the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission to enhance electric service for customers. Penn Power’s upgrades to the local energy grid have reduced the number and length of outages customers experience by up to 20 percent in areas where work has been completed.

“The work underway in Mercer and Crawford counties will reduce many power interruptions to just a brief or momentary outage, which will be particularly beneficial to customers in rural, tree-filled areas,” said Scott Wyman, president of FirstEnergy’s Pennsylvania operations. Penn Power is an electric company of FirstEnergy.

“This work complements upgrades completed across our entire service area over recent years that have resulted in fewer and shorter outages, mainly during severe weather events,” Wyman said.

The installation of nearly 20 new automated reclosing devices in the substations and along neighborhood power lines helps limit the frequency, duration and scope of service interruptions, Wyman said.

The devices work like a circuit breaker in a home to shut power when trouble occurs, with the added benefit of automatically reenergizing a substation or power line within seconds for certain types of outages. The technology is safer and more efficient as it often allows utility personnel to automatically restore service to customers in lieu of sending a crew to investigate.

If the device senses a more serious issue, like a fallen tree on electrical equipment, it will isolate the outage to the area and limit the total number of affected customers. The technology can pinpoint the location of the fault and help utility personnel better understand the cause of the outage.

Automated voltage regulators are being installed to help ensure safe, constant voltage levels along power lines on extremely cold or hot days that create high demand for electricity.

Additional power lines are being constructed to provide more flexibility in restoring outages due to events such as storms and vehicle accidents. The new power lines will help reduce the length and overall number of customers impacted during an outage by switching them to a backup line for faster service restoration.

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