May 27, 2021

The recent rebuilding of a 69-kilovolt transmission line is expected to help enhance electric service reliability for Ohio Edison customers in Morrow County, southwest of Mansfield, Ohio. The 12.8-mile line upgrade includes installing new poles between the Bingham and Schaaf substations, as well as updating equipment to help increase capacity and reduce the number of equipment-related outages.

“The line was originally built in the 1950s,” said Carl Bridenbaugh, vice president, Transmission. “These upgrades will modernize the grid between these two substations, which is an important part of our efforts to improve reliability across the area.”

Upgrades at the Schaaf substation include installing new switches that better control incoming and outgoing power supply. The equipment will increase flexibility during scheduled maintenance or unplanned outages, allowing electricity to flow more reliably to customers around the clock. Substation upgrades were completed in late May.

American Transmission Systems, Inc. (ATSI), FirstEnergy’s transmission affiliate for our Ohio service territories and Penn Power, is completing the project. It is part of a larger plan to modernize transmission facilities and help reduce the risk of power outages for customers between Mansfield and Columbus. Planning is underway for additional upgrades in the Morrow County area. The work is part of Energizing the Future, FirstEnergy’s multi-year investment initiative aimed at upgrading transmission facilities with advanced equipment and technology.