Latest news with #FirstEnergyPennsylvania
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Thousands of Personnel Engaged in FirstEnergy's Power Restoration Effort in Pennsylvania and West Virginia
Crews continue working 24/7 to restore service to 150,000 customers following intense storm GREENSBURG, Pa., May 1, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Power has been restored to more than 275,000 of the 380,000 FirstEnergy Corp. (NYSE: FE) customers impacted by the April 29 storm that produced significant, widespread damage due to heavy rain and excessive winds in many parts of the service area. More than 4,750 internal and external resources are working 24/7 to restore power to customers who remain without service in the hardest hit areas of Pennsylvania and West Virginia. John Hawkins, President, FirstEnergy Pennsylvania: "The recent storm in the greater Pittsburgh area is our second worst on record since 2009 in western Pennsylvania, ranking among the top storms in the company's history in terms of impact. The widespread area of straight-line winds – such as the 110-120 mph wind speeds reported in Cambria County by the National Weather Service – caused hundreds of instances of broken poles, downed wires and equipment damage across our western and central Pennsylvania footprint. As we continue our efforts to restore power to every last customer, we urge everyone to prioritize safety. We deeply appreciate your continued patience and support of our field personnel." Company personnel are also preparing to respond to service interruptions caused by another severe weather system that is expected to bring strong wind gusts and potential thunderstorms this afternoon to portions of Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Maryland. The system is expected to bring wind gusts of 40 to 50 miles per hour – and potentially higher in some areas with an additional risk of scattered thunderstorms. The high winds could slow restoration efforts, as crews cannot safely operate bucket trucks when wind speeds exceed 40 miles per hour. Current outage updates as of 11 a.m. today include: West Penn Power: Approximately 197,000 FirstEnergy Pennsylvania customers in the West Penn Power service area lost power from the storm, and 78,500 remain without power. Penelec: Approximately 107,400 FirstEnergy Pennsylvania customers in the Penelec service area lost power from the storm, and 13,600 remain without power. Penn Power: Approximately 13,600 FirstEnergy Pennsylvania customers in the Penn Power service area lost power from the storm, and 2,300 remain without power. Mon Power: Approximately 36,300 Mon Power customers lost power from the storm, and 5,300 remain without power. Power will be restored to most customers by 11 p.m. this evening. Established while crews are restoring power and assessing the full extent of damages, the initial "global estimated time of restoration" (ETR) represents an estimate of when service will be restored to the majority of customers following major outage events. Many customers will have their power restored before that time. Work to restore power continues around the clock, and many customers will have service restored sooner, based on the level of damage in their area. Listed below are the ETRs by county for customers served by Penelec, Penn Power and West Penn Power. If your county is not listed, please log into your account at or text STAT to 544487 if you are registered for text alerts to get your specific outage ETR. Allegheny County – Sunday, May 4, by 11 p.m. Armstrong County – Monday, May 5, by 3 p.m. Blair County – Saturday, May 3, by 11 p.m. Butler County – Customers served by Penn Power are expected to have power restored by Saturday, May 3, by 11 p.m. Customers served by West Penn Power are expected to have power restored by Sunday, May 4, by 11 p.m. Centre County – Sunday, May 4, by 11 p.m. Clearfield County – Many customers in the county are expected to have power restored by Saturday, May 3, by 11 p.m.; customers in the hardest hit areas of the county expected to have power restored by Sunday, May 4, by 11 p.m. Greene County – Saturday, May 3, by 11 p.m. Indiana County - Saturday, May 3, by 11 p.m. Mifflin County – Friday, May 2, by 11 p.m. Washington County - Many customers in the county are expected to have power restored by Saturday, May 3, by 11 p.m.; customers in the hardest hit areas of the county expected to have power restored by Sunday, May 4, by 11 p.m. Westmoreland County - Many customers in the county are expected to have power restored by Saturday, May 3, by 11 p.m.; customers in the hardest hit areas of the county expected to have power restored by Monday, May 5, by 3 p.m. As additional information about necessary repairs is understood, more detailed ETRs will be provided. Customers can view their current individual ETR for their particular outage by logging into their account at texting STAT to 54487, or viewing the outage map at If they have not done so already, customers who are without power can call 1-888-LIGHTSS (1-888-544-4877) or text OUT to 544487 to report their outage or click the "Outages" link on Free water and ice is available to Pennsylvania customers who remain without power. Customers can visit a participating Giant or Giant Eagle store to receive two 1-gallon bottles of water or one 24-pack of bottled water and two 7-9 pound bags of ice or one 20-25-pound of ice. Please let the store know that you are a FirstEnergy customer without power at checkout. A list of participating stores is available online FirstEnergy's Restoration Process: FirstEnergy follows a formal restoration process after severe weather, focusing on repairs that will address the largest number of customers before moving on to more isolated issues. The restoration effort typically begins with transmission and substation facilities and then prioritizes critical facilities like hospitals, communications and emergency response agencies. Additionally, hundreds of isolated issues affect individual or small numbers of customers. These are the most time-consuming repairs because they require our crews to go to each individual location to make the repairs. Many of the isolated issues include repairs to "service drops," which are wires attached to each home to deliver electricity from the neighborhood power line. These wires are often damaged by fallen trees and large branches. For updated information on the company's current outages, storm restoration process and tips for staying safe, visit FirstEnergy's 24/7 Power Center at To learn more about navigating the recently updated map, please visit Generator Safety Reminder: To ensure the safety of the home's occupants as well as that of electric company employees who may be working on power lines in the area, the proper generator should be selected and installed by a qualified electrician. When operating a generator, the power coming into the home should always be disconnected. Otherwise, power from the generator could be sent back onto the power lines, creating a hazardous situation for company workers. Locate the generator outside of your home and far away from windows, doors and vents. Never locate a generator inside your home. View additional generator safety information. 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 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. Visit FirstEnergy online at and follow FirstEnergy and its operating companies on X, formerly known as Twitter, @FirstEnergyCorp, @IlluminatingCo, @OhioEdison,. View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE FirstEnergy Corp. Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Crews Working 24/7 to Restore Power to More Than 385,000 FirstEnergy Customers Following Severe Thunderstorms
Public urged to stay far away from downed or low-hanging wires GREENSBURG, Pa., April 30, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Power has been restored to about 156,000 of the approximately 385,000 FirstEnergy Corp. (NYSE: FE) customers who lost service due to severe storms that swept across the company's service territory on Tuesday. FirstEnergy's electric company personnel will continue to work around the clock, aided by additional line workers and support personnel from outside the company, to make repairs as quickly and safely as possible. The powerful storm system brought heavy rain and strong winds exceeding 70 mph in parts of Pennsylvania and West Virginia. The western and central portions of Pennsylvania were the hardest hit areas, with widespread tree-related damage that caused numerous broken poles and crossarms and downed power lines. Due to the extent of damage, restoration work is expected to continue over the next few days, particularly in Pennsylvania. Customers should assume all downed or low-hanging power lines are energized and dangerous. Stay at least 30 feet away and use extra caution where downed lines are tangled in trees or other debris. Report downed lines ASAP by calling 911. More than 2,000 lineworkers, hazard responders, forestry crews, safety and other support personnel from FirstEnergy sister companies, external contractors and mutual aid organizations are assisting the company's Pennsylvania and West Virginia crews with storm response. In total, more than 3,400 internal and external workers are involved in the restoration effort, and additional support may be secured as necessary. Though downed trees and road closures can slow progress, crews will continue to work around the clock to safely make repairs and ensure service to all customers has been restored. Current outage updates as of 10 a.m. today include: West Penn Power: Approximately 214,000 FirstEnergy Pennsylvania customers in the West Penn Power service area lost power due to the storm, and 143,000 remain without service. Penelec: Approximately 113,000 FirstEnergy Pennsylvania customers in the Penelec service area lost power due to the storm, and 48,000 remain without service. Penn Power: Approximately 15,600 FirstEnergy Pennsylvania customers in the Penn Power service area lost power due to the storm, and 3,800 remain without service. Mon Power: Approximately 34,000 customers lost power due to the storm, and 16,500 remain without service. The hardest hit area was Weirton, where 65% of the company's customers were affected. About 12,000 Weirton-area customers remain without power. Estimated restoration times (ETRs) will be established today as crews continue assessing damage and making repairs. Many customers will have power restored sooner than the ETR depending on the level of damage in their area. ETRs will be provided as they become available on our outage map. Customers can also text STAT to 544487 to receive an update for their reported outage. Customers who are not currently signed up for text message updates must first text REG to 544487. FirstEnergy's Restoration Process: FirstEnergy follows a formal restoration process after severe weather, focusing on repairs that will address the largest number of customers before moving on to more isolated issues. The restoration effort typically begins with transmission and substation facilities and then prioritizes critical facilities like hospitals, communications and emergency response agencies. Additionally, hundreds of isolated issues affect individual or small numbers of customers. These are the most time-consuming repairs because they require our crews to go to each individual location to make the repairs. Many of the isolated issues include repairs to "service drops," which are wires attached to each home to deliver electricity from the neighborhood power line. These wires are often damaged by fallen trees and large branches. For updated information on the company's current outages, storm restoration process and tips for staying safe, visit FirstEnergy's 24/7 Power Center at To learn more about navigating the recently updated map, please visit 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 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. Visit FirstEnergy online at and follow FirstEnergy and its electric companies on X @FirstEnergyCorp, @ToledoEdison, @IlluminatingCo, @OhioEdison, @MonPowerWV, @JCP_L, @Penn_Power, @Penelec, @Met_Ed, @PotomacEdison, @W_Penn_Power. View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE FirstEnergy Corp.
Yahoo
11-04-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Penelec completes system upgrades for Venango, Crawford Counties
(WJET/WFXP)– Penelec customers in Crawford and Venango Counties should see fewer disruptions in their power following upgrades made to a powerline that's been subject to plenty of issues over the past few years. Penelec announced they've completed a project upgrading a 13-mile powerline that helps supply power to people in Cochranton, Utica, Polk and nearby communities to reduce those interruptions, particularly during severe weather. More REAL ID Days planned for Erie, Crawford, McKean Mercer Co. Over the course of the project, Penelec said they replaced 42 poles, 53 crossarms and nearly 700 older porcelain insulators along with replacing two switches that allow line workers to isolate damage and temporarily reroute power to customers. Crews also installed a new remote-control switch to re-route power in the event of an outage so crews can make repairs when the previous equipment had to be operated on-site so outages could be dealt with. Car thefts dropped in 2024 but which cars were still stolen the most? 'Over time, severe weather takes a toll on exposed electrical infrastructure, and this project allows us to proactively address equipment that has served our customers well for many years but needed to be updated. Utility poles are the backbone of the distribution system, and this work should enhance the reliability of electric service for customers in these rural communities for years to come,' said President of FirstEnergy Pennsylvania John Hawkins. Work on the project started in November 2024 and is part of Penelec's $538 million Long Term Infrastructure Improvement Plan to make smarter, more secure grids that meet higher demands for electricity. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
