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Mon Power and Potomac Edison Invest $13 Million to Boost Reliability for Rural West Virginia Communities

News Provided by PR Newswire2025-11-13

Mon Power and Potomac Edison Invest $13 Million to Boost Reliability for Rural West Virginia Communities

[13-November-2025]

FAIRMONT, W.Va., Nov. 13, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Electric service reliability for more than 12,700 rural West Virginia customers of Mon Power and Potomac Edison, subsidiaries of FirstEnergy (NYSE: FE), will get a boost from a $13 million infrastructure investment this year. The projects aim to reduce the frequency and duration of outages – especially during severe weather – as part of a three-year pilot program approved by the Public Service Commission of West Virginia.

New and Upgraded Equipment
The program benefits rural communities through reliability projects that help keep the lights on for customers if wires or equipment on their regular line are out of service. Work includes:

Building new power lines
Upgrading to stronger wire
Adding additional substation transformers
Installing automated smart technologies

Jim Myers, FirstEnergy President of West Virginia and Maryland: "We understand the unique challenges faced by rural communities, and we are committed to providing the dependable power customers in these areas need to thrive. Our investment in new and upgraded power lines and other equipment is designed to reduce the frequency of outages and reinforce reliable service, even during severe weather."

Targeted Upgrades for Reliable Service
The 2025 infrastructure investment projects include:

Berkeley and Morgan counties: Building a four-mile power line to connect two lines serving 5,400 customers in Hedgesville. This connection will provide backup power, minimizing outages. The new line will have a protective covering to help keep it energized despite contact with branches, trees or animals.
Greenbrier County: Installing a second transformer at a substation in Union to provide power backup for 2,238 customers while supporting future growth in the area.
Hancock County: Upgrading wire on an existing line in Weirton that provides a backup power source for over 3,100 customers. The higher capacity line will enable Mon Power to restore service to customers more quickly in the event of an outage.

Other new equipment to keep power in Hancock County running smoothly includes regulators, which control voltage to help make sure lights and appliances get the right amount of power, and reclosers, which act like circuit breakers – automatically shutting off electricity when there's a problem, then turning it back on once it's safe.
Tyler County: Upgrading wire on an existing two-mile tie line to minimize the frequency and duration of outages for 2,000 customers in Friendly and Sistersville.

Mon Power serves about 395,000 customers in 34 West Virginia counties. Follow Mon Power at mon-power.com, on X @MonPowerWV, and on Facebook at facebook.com/MonPowerWV.

Potomac Edison serves about 285,000 customers in seven counties in Maryland and 155,000 customers in the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia. Follow Potomac Edison at potomacedison.com, on X @PotomacEdison, and on Facebook at facebook.com/PotomacEdison.

FirstEnergy is dedicated to integrity, safety, reliability and operational excellence. Its electric distribution companies form one of the nation's largest investor-owned electric systems, serving more than six million customers in Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, West Virginia, Maryland and New York. The company's transmission subsidiaries operate approximately 24,000 miles of transmission lines that connect the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic regions. Follow FirstEnergy online at firstenergycorp.com and on X @FirstEnergyCorp.