FirstEnergy subsidiary American Transmission Systems, Inc. (ATSI) has upgraded eight miles of two high-voltage power lines in Lake and Geauga counties in Ohio, stringing new wires that can handle additional demand if other lines in the region are out of service.

The project will strengthen the regional transmission system and enhance service reliability for 7,000 customers of The Illuminating Company.

The two 138-kilovolt power lines share 63 transmission towers along the eight-mile section and run from the Leroy Center Substation in Leroy Township through Concord Township in Lake County and Hambden and Chardon townships in Geauga County.

New wires installed will reduce the risk of overloads on the lines, which are now able to carry increased power flow in the event of unplanned service interruptions on other transmission lines.

As part of this $7 million project, ATSI also installed new components and insulators as needed along the route to support the wires. Helicopter crews performed the majority of the upgrades along the eight-mile section.

A second phase of the project that extends an additional eight miles to the Mayfield Substation in Chester Township, Geauga County, is planned for 2024. This fall, ATSI also will be upgrading two transmission lines on parallel structures in the corridor that run 16 miles from the Leroy Center Substation to the Mayfield Substation.

Identified in conjunction with PJM as part of its reliability planning analysis, this project is also part of Energizing the Future, FirstEnergy’s multi-year initiative designed to upgrade our transmission system with advanced equipment and technologies that will reinforce the power grid and help reduce the frequency and duration of customer outages. To date, the company has invested more than $10 billion in the Energizing the Future initiative.

Since 2014, FirstEnergy has also upgraded or replaced existing power lines, incorporated smart technology into the grid and upgraded dozens of substations with new equipment and enhanced security features.