JCP&L proposes $935M plan to upgrade network, reduce outages

💡The plan would upgrade 600 miles of JCP&L's overhead power lines

💡Some of the plan would "underground" some existing lines

💡The average customer could see rates increase by 3.6%

During the heavy rain and wind storm, 71,000 JCP&L customers lost power. That number could be greatly reduced if the Board of Public Utilities greenlights the utility's extensive five-year infrastructure project

EnergizeNJ is a $935 million systemwide project proposal from the utility that serves 1.1 million customers in Burlington, Essex, Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth, Morris, Ocean, Passaic, Somerset, Sussex, Union and Warren counties.

The project includes upgrading over 600 miles of overhead power lines that will make them more resistant to "high impact storms," replacing 46 miles of aging underground wires, and upgrading 18 substations to support additional backup power feeds.

"I believe the Energize New Jersey program simply reaffirms our commitment to safe, affordable, reliable electric service, you know, today and into the future," Jim Fakult, president of New Jersey Operations for FirstEnergy, told New Jersey 101.5.

Taking on a hungry squirrel

Of course for all the millions spent, there's always a heavy, iced-over branch to take down a line or a hungry squirrel to chew through a wire. This program will improve the utility's ability to react to those situations, with customers expected to see a decrease in the frequency and length of outages.

"What we're going to be able to do for many of our customers is when those events happen, instead of seeing maybe a two-hour or a three-hour outage, they may see a five- minute outage because we can then start to reroute power automatically," Fakult said. "We can pick up those customers off of other circuits through technology that we may not have today."

The common solution frustrated customers often suggest is taking lines below ground to prevent outages because of icing and fallen trees. Fakult said "undergrounding" is a costly proposition, but if done carefully it can payoff.

"We also have about $7 million in selective undergrounding. What we're doing there is we have located a number of places where we will take above ground wire and put it below grade. And if you do that strategically, usually right outside of our substation, or right where there's a significant impact to a lot of customers, you can generally save some outages there," Fakult said.

Handling Gov. Phil Murphy's green energy initiative

Fakult is confident JCP&L's network can continue to handle increased use of electric vehicles and appliances that come with Gov. Phil Murphy's green energy initiative.

"I think we've got over 42,000 solar rooftop units on our system, and our grid has been able to handle that energy source already. Other electrification efforts, whether it's appliances or homes or businesses or charging or what not at this point – the grid is handling it," Fakult said. "But what this program will do is ensure that it will be really ready when more proliferation of whether it's 2030 or 2035 or whatever dates are out there. Our commitment is to have the grid ready for that when it happens."

The program does come with a cost for ratepayers with an increase of 3.6% for the average customer. The rate adjustments would take place incrementally, with seven rate adjustments ranging from approximately 10 cents to 99 cents.

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