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Huge project for FirstEnergy underway
Photo
FirstEnergy of Northeast Ohio uses helicopters to build a 345-kilovolt power line running from Beaver County in Pennsylvania to Cuyahoga County. This process minimizes enviromental damage and proves to be more efficient for the company, FirstEnergy says. The workers in these photos are building the line in southern Mahoning County.
STORY & PHOTOS
FirstEnergy, the dominant energy supplier for Northeast Ohio, is undertaking its biggest project in the state in 15 years.
A new transmission power line it’s building is more than 100 miles long from the Bruce Mansfield plant on the Ohio River to the Glenwillow power plant in Cuyahoga County. The line travels through parts of Columbiana, Mahoning, Trumbull, Portage, Summit and Cuyahoga counties in Ohio and Beaver County in Pennsylvania.
Burns and McDonnell of Kansas is general contractor, and North Houston Pole Line of Texas is doing the helicopter work locally. Using helicopters to put workers and lines in place helps minimize adverse impact on wetlands and farmed fields, and it allows the work to be done effectively and efficiently, the utility company says.
The new line has 345 kilovolts and will be in addition to 345 kilovolts on the other side of the tower.
The project will double the capacity on the towers, ensuring power to Northeast Ohio, and should be in service by the end of the year or early next year, the company said.