Electric system upgrades to benefit more than 20,000 customers of The Illuminating Company
Electric grid work is underway in Ohio’s Cuyahoga County, bringing greater reliability to more than 20,000 customers of The Illuminating Company once complete.
Merely one piece of a three-year modernization project, the effort includes new, automated equipment and technology for substations and power lines throughout the region. More than 50 new automated reclosing devices will be included. These reclosers work like circuit breakers to help limit the frequency, duration, and scope of service interruptions by allowing power to be shut off during problems and automatically reenergized once the trouble has passed.
“Every project is customized and designed to address the particular reliability needs of each community where work is being done,” Mark Jones, regional president of The Illuminating Company, said. “These upgrades will allow us to restore service to our customers faster following severe weather events, as well as pave the way for a more robust power system that has advanced technology to support different types of energy sources in the years to come.”
Beyond the new smart technology, the company is also adding power lines to allow greater flexibility for restoring power during crises caused by storms or accidents. Additionally, more than 70 capacitor banks will be installed to provide customers supplied by a single power line with evenly distributed electricity and reduced energy usage overall.
All of this work began in 2020 and is currently set to conclude this April. At the same time, The Illuminating Company is proceeding with preemptive tree-trimming work and equipment inspections along nearly 100 circuit miles of power lines.
