JCP&L upgrades transmission station

Jersey Central Power & Light (JCP&L), a subsidiary of FirstEnergy Corp., is upgrading a northern New Jersey transmission substation to enhance reliability for customers in Sussex County.

The project in Franklin is expected to cost $50.3 million and take about 18 months to complete.

Doug Mokoid, FirstEnergy’s president, New Jersey, said, ”The extensive work happening both inside and outside the fence of our substation in Franklin is designed to enhance the reliability and resiliency of the backbone of our electric grid. Once complete, this project will help us deliver the safe, reliable electricity our customers expect.”

The upgrades include:

• Reconfiguring the substation to allow for more redundancy and flexibility.

• Installing new electrical equipment and a new control enclosure.

• Replacing an aging transformer and adding a third transformer to enhance planning and operational flexibility and accommodate existing and future customer demand in the area.

• Installing four steel monopoles outside the substation and replacing four wooden utility poles and one lattice tower to allow for the reconfiguration of two high-voltage power lines that will provide backup service if customers’ primary lines are out of service.

About 4,500 JCP&L customers in Franklin, Hamburg, Hardyston, Ogdensburg and Sparta are served by the substation in Franklin.

This work is part of Energize365, FirstEnergy’s grid evolution program focused on investing $26 billion between 2024 and 2028 in its six-state footprint to create a smarter, more secure grid.

JCP&L serves 1.1 million customers in Burlington, Essex, Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth, Morris, Ocean, Passaic, Somerset, Sussex, Union and Warren counties.

FirstEnergy is one of the nation’s largest investor-owned electric systems, serving more than 6 million customers in Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, West Virginia, Maryland and New York.