It’s installing new substation reclosers.
Williamsport, Md (KM) Crews with Potomac Edison are upgrading substation reclosers in Maryland. Spokesman Will Boye says the utility is expected to install 15 reclosers throughout its service area in Frederick, Montgomery, Carroll, Washington, Allegany and Garrett Counties before the end of the year.
Boye says reclosers are similar to circuit breakers. They shut off the power when trouble occurs, such as when a tree branch coming into contact with a power line. It will then reset itself and restore power after the trouble has passed.
“What the benefit is is they include single-phase technology,” he said. “In the past, older models, they had shut down the entire line when there’s an issue. With these newer models, they can isolate a problem on one portion of the line while keeping electricity flowing through the rest.”
This will reduce the number of customers who experience power outages. “We can keep power flowing to those customers. It really reduces the number of momentary and sustained power outages that they will experience,” he says.
Potomac Edison says these new reclosers will benefit customers in the Barnesville, Beallsville, Corriganville, Frostburg, Huyetts Crossroads, Jennings, Mount Airy, New Windsor, Poolesville and Union Bridge communities.
“We’re planning to 15 each year through the end of 2022. And ultimately we’ll be replacing 25% of our reclosers in our Maryland service area by the end of that time,” says Boye.
The utility is also undertaking another improvement project. “We’re going to be replacing roughly 50-miles of underground electrical cable each year through the end of 2022 which will also help with service readability,” says Boye.
He says a majority of these underground power lines are located on private property, and there will be few instances of Potomac Edison crews teaming up the roads to get to a utility line.
By Kevin McManus