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High-voltage transmission line receives PUC approval

Bedford, Somerset customers to see improved service

HARRISBURG — The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission recently approved the application of Mid-Atlantic Trans­mission LLC, as successor in interest to Pennsylvania Electric Co., to construct a new high-voltage transmission line in Bedford and Somerset counties.

“What we’ve done is taken the old GPU Energy (Penelec and Met Ed) assets and put them under a new company — Mid Atlantic Trans­mission LLC,” said Scott Surgeoner of FirstEnergy Corp., Penelec’s parent company.

Planning for the project started more than a year ago, Surgeoner said.

The project calls for building the Bedford North-Central City West 115-kilovolt transmission line to enhance service reliability for about 17,500 Penelec customers in Somerset and Bedford counties.

Mid-Atlantic Trans­mission LLC will operate and maintain the new 17.6-mile transmission line between the Bedford North Substation in Bedford Township, Bedford County, and the Central City West Substation, Central City Borough, Somerset County, according to a PUC press release.

Approximately 10.4 miles of the project will require new right-of-way while the remaining 7.2 miles will be built on the right-of-way of the existing Bedford North-New Baltimore 115 kV transmission line located in Napier, East St. Clair and Bedford townships, Bedford County, the press release said.

The $48 million project will enable the bulk electric system to operate reliably and provide adequate capacity to serve future anticipated load growth in the region.

Construction is scheduled to begin soon and be completed by the end of the year, Surgeoner said.

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