USA, Maryland, Williamsport: Potomac Edison, a FirstEnergy Corp. subsidiary, has completed a new substation in Great Cacapon, West Virginia, designed to deliver more reliable power to around 1,900 customers in Morgan County and nearby Little Orleans, Maryland. Construction began in 2024, and the facility went online this September.
The project replaces an older substation that relied on a six-mile-long line winding through rugged, hard-to-access terrain – frequently affected by storms and outages. The new substation sits on an 8-ha (20-acre) Potomac Edison site and connects to a shorter, more accessible line, making it less vulnerable to disruptions and easier to maintain.
“This new substation will significantly elevate the standard of service for our customers,” said Jim Myers, FirstEnergy’s president for West Virginia and Maryland. “We are building smarter, stronger infrastructure that keeps electricity flowing to homes and businesses across our region.”
Equipped with advanced smart grid technology, the substation can automatically detect and isolate faults, restore power remotely, and pinpoint outage locations. These automated systems reduce both the frequency and duration of power interruptions while improving safety and efficiency.
The upgrade forms part of FirstEnergy’s $28 B Energize365 investment program (2025–2029), aimed at modernising the grid and preparing it for future energy demands. The company serves about 285,000 customers in Maryland and 155,000 in West Virginia.
Source: Fox 59
