Pennsylvania Power Co. (Penn Power), a subsidiary of FirstEnergy Corp., is completing the installation of new interior fencing in three substations to help deter climbing animals that often seek food, shelter and warmth during the cold-weather months, as well as protect against electrical equipment interference that can cause power outages. The fence is being installed at a substation in Cranberry Township.

Pennsylvania Power Co. is completing the installation of new interior fencing at three substations, including one in Cranberry Township, to help deter animals as well as protect against electrical equipment interference that can cause power outages.

Penn Power is a subsidiary of FirstEnergy Corp.

This work builds upon the company's previous system upgrades in two Mercer County substations where the fence applications were installed last year. The company said in a news release that the fencing — installed inside a substation around the perimeter of the equipment — keeps out climbing animals that often seek food, shelter and warmth during the cold-weather months.

“Climbing animals present a threat to substation operation and electric service reliability,” said Ed Shuttleworth, regional president of Penn Power and Ohio Edison.

The work is part of Penn Power's second phase Long Term Infrastructure Improvement Plan, approved by the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission. Installation of the fencing was completed at a Mercer County substation in September and a Butler County substation in November. The remaining application will be installed at a Lawrence County substation by the end of this year.

“A single substation outage can cost thousands of dollars in equipment damage and hundreds of man hours to repair as well as cause extended outages for customers served by that circuit,” Shuttleworth said. “The special fencing was an economical solution to prevent these types of service disruptions in the future.”

To determine the best locations for the interior substation fencing, utility personnel reviewed outage patterns across Penn Power's service area and identified substations in Mercer, Cranberry and New Castle that had experienced animal-related equipment damage that caused lengthy power outages. These substations collectively serve nearly 15,000 customers in Western Pennsylvania.

In preparation for winter, utility personnel also have completed inspections and maintenance on weather-sensitive equipment across its service area.

Penn Power serves more than 160,000 customers in all or parts of Butler, Allegheny, Beaver, Crawford, Lawrence and Mercer counties in Western Pennsylvania.