Penelec, a subsidiary of FirstEnergy Corp. recently announced it is on track to install approximately 350 automated “TripSaver” reclosing devices in 2023.
The programmable devices are installed on neighborhood power lines and work like a circuit breaker. They help limit the frequency, duration and scope of service interruptions by automatically re-energizing a power line within seconds to keep power safely flowing to customers.
“TripSavers can allow us to automatically restore service to customers rather than send a truck and crew to investigate the issue, which is especially useful in remote areas of Penelec’s vast service territory,” Scott Wyman, president of FirstEnergy’s Pennsylvania operations, said. “These devices are intended to provide safer and more efficient service restoration for both our employees and our customers.”
This is the fourth year of a five-year program included in the company’s $200 million Long Term Infrastructure Improvement Plan. The goal is to install 2,000 TripSaver devices.
This year, the devices were installed in and around Albion, Altoona, Bedford, Bradford, Corry, Dubois, Ebensburg, Erie, Indiana, Johnstown, Lewistown, Mansfield, Meadville, Montrose, Oil City, Phillipsburg, Shippensburg, Towanda and Warren.
Penelec serves approximately 585,000 customers in northern and central Pennsylvania.
FirstEnergy serves customers in Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, West Virginia, Maryland and New York.