CLEVELAND — This year, FirstEnergy will be wrapping up millions of dollars worth of upgrades that are designed to make the power grid in Northeast Ohio smarter and more reliable.
In some neighborhoods, you may see new infrastructure poles going in to support the project. "The new 100-foot poles that you may see along our rights of way support the new smart grid communications equipment that we’re installing to prevent and minimize power outages in customers' areas," explains FirstEnergy's Lauren Siburkis.
FirstEnergy has spent more than $400 million building a network of devices that help pinpoint exactly when and where outages happen. The wifi antenna-looking devices on poles help communicate location information, while new devices work to automatically fix problems.
"A lot of the new automated equipment that we’re installing includes automated reclosing devices that acts very similar to how a circuit breaker in your home operates, with the added benefit of being able to automatically restore power to a customer without sending a crew out to investigate," Siburkis adds.
And some of the upgrades are already paying dividends. Even with winter storms rolling in over the last few months, the number of power outages were minimal because of the upgrades that began in 2020.
"It’s really a testament to the investments that we’re making in our smart grid," says Siburkis.
The 3-year modernization project, which includes substation and smartmeter upgrades, is expected to wrap up this year. Workers will be adding some of the final elements in the coming months.
And don't look for any additional increases to your monthly bills. Residents are already technically covering the cost. It’s less than $3 per month for a typical residential customer. These costs are part of the distribution related component part of your bill.
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