FirstEnergy completes upgrades for first 13 miles of eastern Ohio transmission line

In the first phase of a larger 64-mile transmission line project, FirstEnergy Corp. subsidiary American Transmission Systems, Inc. announced the completion of upgrades last month to 13 miles of high-voltage line in Ohio’s Carroll and Columbiana counties.

So far, the Energizing the Future project has cost approximately $39 million, and this phase consisted of replacements to wooden pole structures along the miles-long span. In their place, steel structures with larger wires capable of carrying greater current and taking on higher electricity demand were anchored in the form of a 138-kV line. In all, these changes should increase area reliability and resiliency.

Work will resume this month with the beginnings of a nine-mile segment in Carroll and Harrison counties. When finished, the full 64 miles of line will stretch between substations in Columbiana and Belmont counties.

“Rebuilding and fortifying this line with new infrastructure strengthens our transmission system and reflects our commitment to providing safe and reliable service to customers in southeast Ohio,” Carl Bridenbaugh, FirstEnergy’s vice president of Transmission, said.

The in-motion project will span multiple years, although FirstEnergy has reported updates and replacements to existing power lines, along with smart grid deployments and substation upgrades, since 2014. As of 2021, it noted investments of $9 billion into the Energizing the Future initiative and showed no likelihood of slowing.