FirstEnergy Corp. subsidiary Penn Power has announced the completion of an expansion of its smart grid in Mercer County to help reinforce the local power system and help prevent lengthy service disruptions.

According to Penn Power, the upgrade is meant to help reduce or prevent outages, especially during severe weather.

The work completed includes installing new, automated equipment and technology in distribution substations and along neighborhood power lines serving more than 15,000 customers in Sharon, Sharpsville, Hermitage, Transfer, Greenville, West Middlesex, and other nearby areas.

According to First Energy, the work is part of a second phase long-term infrastructure improvement plan which was approved by the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission.

According to the company,  outages have decreased by 74 percent in customer minutes of interruption related to outages since the installation of smart grid technology along neighborhood power lines. 

Automated voltage regulators were also installed to help ensure safe, constant voltage levels along power lines on extremely cold or hot days  - which create high electricity demand. The devices could also potentially help provide energy savings by evenly distributing electricity to allow all customers served by a single power line to receive the same flow of power.  

Penn Power workers installed nearly 100 new poles able to withstand severe winter elements like high winds, ice, and heavy, wet snow.