West Penn Power Completes Inspections and Maintenance

In preparation for winter, West Penn Power, a subsidiary of FirstEnergy Corp. is completing inspections and conducting equipment maintenance on weather-sensitive equipment across its service area.

Winter’s cold temperatures produce increased demand for electricity, and heavy snow and wind have the potential to cause damage to poles, wires and substations, requiring crews to make repairs in difficult conditions. Completing inspections and maintenance of critical equipment now can help to enhance system reliability when the snow begins to fly.

“We’re completing our winter maintenance programs for our infrastructure and on our vehicle fleet,” said David W. McDonald, president of West Penn Power. “Preparing for winter conditions is a vital step to help make our system more reliable and improve customer service.”

The work includes inspecting heating equipment for substation components, such as capacitor banks, transformers, and oil- and gas-filled circuit breakers. Some substations also include buildings that house remote-controlled relay equipment. These structures will be winterized and have the heating systems checked.

Company bucket trucks and other vehicles also are being inspected to help ensure safe operation during the winter season. Special emphasis is placed on the condition of tires and any air braking systems, which can freeze up if moisture is present. In addition, snow removal equipment is being checked. Plows are used to help crews gain access to substations, and to clear the work areas and sidewalks at company service garages and other facilities.

Helicopter patrols also are completing inspections on more than 1,800 miles of FirstEnergy transmission lines located in the West Penn Power service area. The inspections are designed to look for damaged wire, broken cross arms, failed insulators, and other hardware problems not visible from the ground. Any potential reliability issues identified during the inspection may then be addressed.

Tree trimming is another key to preparing our system to meet the rigors of winter operations by maintaining proper clearances around electrical systems and helping to protect against tree-related outages. West Penn Power tree contractors have trimmed more than 3,800 circuit miles of electric lines since January and expect to trim another 700 miles by year end.