FirstEnergy subsidiary to host meeting on Youngstown-Campbell power line

A FirstEnergy-owned company will hold a public informational meeting on June 4 regarding a proposed 6-mile, 138-kilovolt transmission line project aimed at reinforcing the electric grid in Youngstown and Campbell.

The meeting is scheduled from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Tyler Mahoning Valley History Center, 325 W. Federal St. It will provide details about American Transmission Systems reinforcement project, which seeks to upgrade the existing Lincoln Park and Riverbend substations and construct a new transmission line connecting them.

ATSI states the project is necessary to enhance electric service reliability for approximately 15,000 customers in Youngstown and the surrounding area, reduce outages, and allow for future load growth.

The new proposal comes three years after the Ohio Power Siting Board unanimously rejected a similar FirstEnergy project in May 2022. That prior plan, the Lincoln Park Riverbend 138 kV Transmission Line Project, was denied because it could not demonstrate it met the "public interest, convenience, and necessity" required by Ohio law.

Youngstown residents and officials, including Mayor Tito Brown, strongly opposed the 2022 proposal. Concerns centered on the preferred route, which would have impacted the Youngstown Foundation Amphitheater, Wean Park and the Covelli Center in the city's revitalized downtown entertainment district. The OPSB noted it received more than 120 public comments, all opposing the project's original preferred route.

The current project’s route alternatives are in the communities of Youngstown and Campbell.

For those unable to attend the in-person meeting, ATSI has launched a virtual resource with project information, an interactive map and a way to submit comments at https://firstenergy.consultation.ai/youngstown138/.