Scheduled to be carried out in three phases, the $5m transmission line upgrade forms part of FirstEnergy’s previously announced plans to invest over $110m in 2014 in the Mon Power area on transmission and distribution projects to further improve service reliability.
Work is underway on the initial phase of the project that involves replacement of three miles of conductor on a transmission line between substations on Collins Ferry Road and Chaplin Hill Road in Morgantown.
Scheduled to complete by mid-April, the phase also involves replacement of nine existing wooden structures.
The second phase, which is scheuled to complete by early June, involves reconductoring of about half a mile of transmission line and replacement of six wooden structures between the substation located on Collins Ferry Road and another Morgantown substation on West Run Road.
The final phase covers 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, and is expected to start in July and complete by the end of 2014.
FirstEnergy West Virginia Operations president Holly Kauffman said, "This work will upgrade existing Mon Power facilities 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."
FirstEnergy’s other major projects scheduled for 2014 include trees trimming, construction of new distribution circuits, underground cables replacement, as well as inspection and replacement of equipment, including utility poles.
