JCP&L Power System Upgrades Underway in Mercer County

Nearly 1,000 customers to benefit from the project

HOLMDEL, N.J., Feb. 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Jersey Central Power & Light (JCP&L), a subsidiary of FirstEnergy Corp. (NYSE: FE), is upgrading its electric grid in portions of Mercer County to help prevent or minimize the impact of outages for nearly 1,000 customers in Hopewell Township, particularly during severe weather.

Doug Mokoid, FirstEnergy's President of New Jersey: "We've designed a variety of grid enhancement projects tailored specifically to the area where the work is being done to help provide the most efficient and impactful upgrades that will meet customer demands for safe, reliable electricity for many years to come."

The project includes:

• Upgrading approximately four miles of existing infrastructure in two separate areas with thicker, stronger poles and overhead wire that can safely carry more electricity and provide more resiliency in storms.
• Installing approximately 0.25 miles of underground wires connecting the two upgrade zones, providing additional flexibility and protection.
• Increasing the number of protective devices and reclosers that allow power to be rerouted to adjacent lines when an outage occurs, minimizing the number of impacted customers.
• Installing TripSaver devices, which sense temporary abnormalities along power lines, such as a tree branch bouncing off lines, and automatically reenergize the line after the condition has passed without having to send a crew to investigate.
• Conducting additional tree trimming and vegetation management to enhance service reliability.

The work is part of JCP&L's Supplemental High Priority Circuit Program, which expands upon the company's New Jersey Reliability Improvement Project, a two-phase effort to enhance reliability for customers on high-priority lines selected based on historical outage data. The first phase, which includes at least $95 million in upgrades, is set to be completed over the next three years. Second-phase work, which includes longer-duration projects, is targeted for completion by the end of 2028.

The reliability projects underway are part of Energize365, FirstEnergy's grid evolution program focused on investing $26 billion between 2024 and 2028 across its six-state footprint to create a smarter, more secure grid that delivers the power customers depend on today while also meeting the challenges of tomorrow.

JCP&L serves 1.1 million customers in the counties of Burlington, Essex, Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth, Morris, Ocean, Passaic, Somerset, Sussex, Union and Warren. Follow JCP&L on X @JCP_L, on Facebook at facebook.com/JCPandL or online at jcp-l.com.

FirstEnergy is dedicated to integrity, safety, reliability and operational excellence. Its electric distribution companies form one of the nation's largest investor-owned electric systems, serving more than six million 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. Follow FirstEnergy on X @FirstEnergyCorp or online at firstenergycorp.com.

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SOURCE FirstEnergy Corp.