GREENSBURG, Pa. – Met-Ed, the Reading-based electric power company, which is part of First Energy Pennsylvania, has received approval from the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission to move forward with the third phase of the company’s plan to help ensure continued electric service reliability for its more than 592,000 customers. They’re calling it LTIIP III for Long-Term Infrastructure Improvement Plan.
Met-Ed’s sister companies in First Energy – Penn Power, Penelec and West Penn Power – also received PUC approval for their Long-Term Infrastructure Improvement Plans.
With planned investments of $26 billion between 2024 and 2028, the company claims it will create a smarter, more secure and resilient grid that will meet and exceed reliability targets and accommodate electric vehicles, the electrification of homes and businesses and clean energy sources.
Work to enhance smart grid infrastructure across Pennsylvania will continue through 2029.
The $382 million investment by Met-Ed in LTIIP III builds on more than $1 billion in investments First Energy Pennsylvania made during the first two rounds of LTIIP that spanned 2016-2024. Met Ed claims that since 2019, the frequency of interruptions a customer experiences over a year has dropped by 14% in areas where LTIIP work has been completed.
The plans entail an additional $1.42 billion in capital investment over the next five years across FirstEnergy’s Pennsylvania service areas with projects designed to reduce the frequency of service interruptions for customers and shorten their duration when they occur.
John Hawkins, FirstEnergy’s President of Pennsylvania, commented in a statement: “Over the past nine years, our enhancements to the power grid and proactive tree trimming along rights-of-way have yielded positive results.”
Hawkins went on to say LTIIP III will further elevate these efforts by rebuilding overhead power lines and integrating more automated technology into its power lines and substations.
Grid modernization projects include:
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Installing protective devices such as automated reclosers and fuses to power lines and building tie lines between power line sections to isolate damage and quickly restore electric service to customers from unaffected parts of the system.
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Converting lower-voltage power lines to standard voltages to better regulate voltage and provide operational flexibility to reduce the duration of outages.
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Updating underground networks with new conduits, cable, transformers, vaults, manholes and switches.
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Replacing aging substation equipment with modern breakers and electronic relays that offer improved monitoring and operational capabilities.
The program also focuses on power resiliency through:
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Replacing aging poles and overhead wire.
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Replacing underground cable nearing the end of its useful life.
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Selectively placing distribution equipment underground where feasible to enhance reliability.
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Building new power lines to provide more sources to supply electricity to customers, enhancing operational flexibility.
According to First Energy, these targeted distribution projects complement each utility’s annual tree trimming and vegetation management efforts, which work in tandem to help minimize service interruptions.
The company said customers will see no bill impact from LTIIP III in 2025 because first-year program costs are included in FirstEnergy PA’s distribution rate review approved in November by the PUC. LTIIP was authorized by Pennsylvania Act 11, which was approved in 2012 and established a process to encourage electric, natural gas, water and sewer utilities in Pennsylvania to accelerate investments in aging infrastructure and create economic benefits.
Met-Ed serves approximately 592,000 customers within 3,300 square miles of eastern and southeastern Pennsylvania.
FirstEnergy’s electric distribution companies form one of the nation’s largest investor-owned electric systems, serving customers in Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, West Virginia, Maryland and New York. The company’s transmission subsidiaries operate approximately 24,000 miles of transmission lines that connect the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic regions.
