Penelec to rejuvenate underground cable to enhance service reliability

Penelec, a FirstEnergy Corp. utility, plans to inject underground cable lines serving an Erie condominium complex with a silicone-based fluid to prolong their life by up to 40 more years.

The technologically advanced repair method will enable the cable to provide electric service to the area for a fraction of what replacing the lines would cost and eliminates the need to dig up yards and driveways to bury new lines.

Water and corrosive soil can penetrate underground wires over the years, causing power outages, the company said. Instead of replacing more than 1.5 miles of cable that serves an estimated 140 customers living on Crystal Point Drive and the surrounding streets, Penelec will use an electrical contractor to restore the power lines without excavating them. Accessing the de-energized lines through underground vaults, the contractor will force pressurized silicone-based fluid into the cable, filling any cracks and spaces in the worn insulation and encasing the wire with new material.

The first time Penelec has used the silicone-based fluid method, the $125,000 project is scheduled to begin May 11 and continue over several days. It is part of the company’s ongoing efforts to strengthen the durability of its electric system while enhancing service reliability.

“This project should help prevent future power interruptions to a community that has experienced recent underground cable outages without the disruption and cost of installing all-new cable,” said Nick Austin, regional president of Penelec. “Underground electrical equipment is in many ways better protected from the elements than overhead wires, but when an outage occurs, it often takes longer for our crews to pinpoint the underground problem and make repairs.”

Over the course of 2021, the company plans to rejuvenate 8,500 feet of buried electrical cable and replace an additional 11,000 feet of aging underground cable throughout its service area.