FirstEnergy Corp. subsidiary Mid-Atlantic Interstate Transmission (MAIT) recently completed and energized a new power line in Altoona.
The line has been under construction for nearly a year. It will provide transmission and distribution to Penelec customers. Penelec serves approximately 585,000 customers in northern and central Pennsylvania.
MAIT constructed a new 46-kilovolt (kV) line to connect its 20th Street Substation near Boyer Candy to Penelec’s Westfall Substation near 17th Avenue. Previously, the 20th Street Substation was fed by a single transmission line, leaving customers vulnerable to lengthy power outages when repairs were needed.
The 46-kV line linking the 20th Street Substation to the Collinsville Substation also was rebuilt.
“Completed in time for severe winter weather, this investment will provide reliability benefits for 3,000 of our residential and commercial customers in downtown Altoona, as well as 35,000 customers in Blair County, for decades to come,” Nick Austin, Penelec regional president, said.
The project is part of the Energizing the Future investment program. Through the program, FirstEnergy will upgrade or replace existing transmission lines and equip dozens of substations with new equipment and advanced security features, install smart technology into the grid, and construct new lines. The goal is to enhance physical security and cybersecurity and
increasing reliability.