Jersey Central Power & Light (JCP&L) completed upgrades on more than 80 major circuits in 2017 to help enhance service reliability to approximately 175,000 customers in about 150 communities in northern and central New Jersey.
The $4.7 million program included installing 750 new pieces of high tech
equipment to help pinpoint problem areas and restore service automatically; placing 250
animal guard devices on poles and in substations to limit the number of outages caused
by squirrels, birds and other critters; attaching 390 lightning arrestors on electrical
equipment to help protect the system from stormy weather; and proactively replacing 50
poles, 330 crossarms and about 18,000 feet of wire, according to information provided by JCP&L.
“Upgrading our distribution circuits is an important part of the overall work we do
because it focuses on enhancing the part of our electrical equipment that is closest to our
customers,” Mark Jones, vice president of Operations for JCP&L, said in the statement. “These projects are designed to reduce the number of service interruptions our customers might experience or reduce the duration if an outage occurs.”
During 2017, multiple projects were included to enhance circuits in the following areas:
• Mercer – East Windsor, Hopewell and West Windsor.
• Middlesex – Cranbury, Monroe and Old Bridge.
• Monmouth – Aberdeen, Atlantic Highlands, Colts Neck, Eatontown, Freehold Borough, Freehold Township, Hazlet, Holmdel, Howell, Long
Branch, Manalapan, Matawan, Marlboro, Middletown, Millstone, Ocean Township, Shrewsbury Borough, Shrewsbury Township, Tinton Falls and Upper
Freehold.
• Ocean – Jackson
Over the past five years, JCP&L has completed similar upgrades for more than
500 circuits.