ATSI upgrades 16 miles of high-voltage power lines across Northeast Ohio
In a move that impacts nearly 5,000 customers of The Illuminating Company in Ohio, American Transmission Systems, Inc. (ATSI) recently finished work updating 16 miles of high-voltage power lines throughout Lake and Geauga counties.
Meant to bolster resilience, the measures included stringing new wires with increased capacity for carrying electricity, as well as installing new components and insulators. That electricity will go up to 138 kV, with line sharing 119 transmission towers strung between two area substations. In particular, ATSI stated this should reduce the risk of overloads on the lines in the face of unplanned service interruptions on other lines in the region.
In all, the project cost approximately $15.5 million. Large sections were handled by helicopter crews, to avoid creation of access roads to support large trucks and equipment.
The project was part of the multi-year grid program known as Energize365, an upgrade effort focused on transmission and distribution investments for the company under FirstEnergy. Those investments could reach $26 billion between 2024 and 2028.
This particular effort was identified in collaboration with grid operator PJM, as part of its reliability planning analysis.
