Jersey Central Power & Light Announces Program to Enhance Reliability for Electric Customers

MORRISTOWN, N.J., July 13, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Jersey Central Power & Light (JCP&L) filed a four-year infrastructure plan today with the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (BPU) aimed at enhancing the reliability and resiliency of its distribution system against severe weather and reducing the frequency and duration of power outages.

JCP&L Reliability Plus includes about $400 million in targeted investments above and beyond its regular annual investments to enhance JCP&L's service reliability and resiliency.  The plan includes nearly 4,000 enhancements that will help the reliability and resiliency of overhead and underground distribution lines, as well as new equipment to reduce the frequency and duration of outages.  It also outlines additional vegetation management to reduce the potential for tree damage, which is the primary cause of outages during severe storms in JCP&L's service area.

"The special focus of this program is to limit damage during severe weather events," said Jim Fakult, president of JCP&L.  "The new equipment, along with enhanced vegetation management, builds on our ongoing efforts to ensure customer service reliability and resiliency."

Reliability Plus was created following a detailed analysis of JCP&L's distribution system, as well as lessons learned from the restoration efforts following recent severe weather events. 

JCP&L expects the plan's economic benefit to customers and businesses from enhanced reliability and resiliency will be $1.9 billion over the estimated life of the equipment installed through the program.  JCP&L estimates the initial increase on the monthly bill for an average residential customer would be about 25 cents.

Key JCP&L Reliability Plus projects include:

• Overhead circuit reliability and resiliency – Conducting enhanced vegetation management to remove trees and limbs overhanging the distribution system in certain areas, as well as trees affected by the emerald ash borer near JCP&L power lines and equipment.  This work will make JCP&L's electric distribution system less susceptible to storm damage and enhance resiliency by addressing the primary cause of outages during storm events – tree damage.  JCP&L will also be installing new TripSaver II devices to reduce the number of momentary outages that become longer-duration outages.
• Substation reliability enhancement – Protecting JCP&L substations from storm damage by implementing flood mitigation measures, upgrading distribution substation equipment, enhancing substation fencing and acquiring four mobile substations.  These projects will increase the distribution system's resiliency, operational flexibility, safety and security. 
• Distribution automation – Installing new technology that can pinpoint and isolate damage on the system, which quickly decreases the number of customers affected by an outage.
• Underground system improvements – Accelerating replacement of underground cable and submersible transformers with new equipment. These projects will increase customer service reliability and resiliency by reducing the frequency and duration of outages and enhancing current operations.

JCP&L, a FirstEnergy Corp. (NYSE: FE) subsidiary, serves 1.1 million New Jersey customers in the counties of Burlington, Essex, Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth, Morris, Ocean, Passaic, Somerset, Sussex, Union and Warren.  Follow JCP&L on Twitter @JCP_L, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/JCPandL or online at www.jcp-l.com.

FirstEnergy is dedicated to safety, reliability and operational excellence.  Its 10 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 more than 24,000 miles of transmission lines that connect the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic regions. Follow FirstEnergy on Twitter @FirstEnergyCorp or online at www.firstenergycorp.com.

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SOURCE FirstEnergy Corp.