July 5, 2022

Over the last four decades, our region’s transmission system has undergone significant changes that have made it more efficient, reliable and secure. One person who has helped to shepherd FirstEnergy through these changes is Rod Phillips, who is retiring after nearly 40 years with the company.

According to Rod, advancements in technology have had the biggest impact on the transmission system. “Early in my career, we didn’t have cell phones or personal computers,” said Rod, who served as director, Transmission Operations, in Akron before taking on a special assignment until July. “Innovations in computers and communication networks have dramatically changed the way we operate the company’s transmission system.”

Spanning Four Decades Rodney Phillips Rod Phillips joined the company in 1983, working for Mon Power on the distribution side of the business in Fairmont, W.Va. After six years, he got his first taste of transmission operations when he advanced to supervisor of Substations, which included distribution and transmission assets. Rod spent the next 33 years in the Transmission group, working at both the Greensburg Corporate Center and the Transmission Control Center in Fairmont, and then moving to Akron in 2012 to assume the role of director, Transmission Operations.

Specifically, transmission system operators now have increased ability to monitor and control equipment. “Operators at the Akron and Fairmont control centers can perform many tasks remotely and using new tools, employees can analyze and visualize the status of the system,” said Rod. “We also have improved telecommunication networks, so we can communicate back and forth with devices, study large amounts of data and monitor the overall health of the system.”

Another area that has experienced significant changes is security – both physical and cyber. “The tools that cyber criminals use to attempt to disrupt our nation’s electric grid didn’t exist when I started with the company,” explained Rod. “We only had to worry about equipment failures and the occasional hunter using our equipment for target practice. Today, there are drones that – if used for nefarious purposes – can cause substantial damage to our transmission system.”

FirstEnergy has beefed up its physical security by adding more secure fencing around transmission substations, installing cameras to monitor critical pieces of equipment and communicating with government agencies to receive alerts about potential threats to the electric grid. For cybersecurity, the Transmission group follows the Critical Infrastructure Protection (CIP) standards established by the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) to ensure that sufficient measures are in place to protect our transmission assets.

Rod also mentioned several factors that have affected the way the transmission system is operated, including the deregulation of the electric industry and the advent of renewable energy sources.

“Generation, distribution and transmission systems historically were built to serve customers in a specific geographic area,” he said. “Electricity typically flowed in one direction and load was relatively consistent. After deregulation was introduced in the late 1990s, power started flowing to different areas based on economics and capacity – and many times it must travel over greater distances, putting additional strain on the transmission system.”

Now more wind and solar generating facilities are on the grid. They have changed how power flows and the system operates since these sources are not available 24 hours a day like baseload coal and nuclear power stations.

According to Rod, FirstEnergy has been making significant capital investments – especially over the last 10 years – to enhance its transmission system with new lines and upgraded equipment that is more durable and can handle greater capacity. In addition, transmission system operators are receiving extensive training on technology, compliance and security issues so they understand how the system works, how to communicate with the network and how to analyze data.

“One thing that has not changed over the years is the amazing and talented group of people I have had the privilege of working with,” Rod said. “Our transmission system has never been more versatile, flexible and resilient, and that is a tribute to our dedicated and innovative Transmission employees.”