Electricity supplier Potomac Edison has announced that their new electrical substation in Great Cacapon is now in service, boosting power supplies to nearly 2,000 customers in western Morgan County.
Construction on the project started last summer, and the substation began serving customers in September, said company officials.
“This new substation will significantly elevate the standard of service for our customers. We’re building the foundation for the future with smarter, stronger infrastructure that keeps electricity flowing to homes and businesses in Morgan County and across our region,” said Jim Myers, FirstEnergy’s President, West Virginia and Maryland.
Company officials said the new substation in Great Cacapon replaces an older facility that depended on a six-mile-long power line winding through rocky and mountainous terrain.
Located on a 20-acre site owned by Potomac Edison that fronts Cacapon Road west of Great Cacapon, the substation is served by a safer, easily reachable power line that is less susceptible to service interruptions, particularly during severe weather.
photo courtesy of First Energy
The station provides power to nearly 1,600 customers in Great Cacapon and 320 customers in Little Orleans, Md.
An older substation and connecting power line will be removed, the company said.
They said the new substation is equipped with smart grid technology, including automated
devices that:
- Detect and isolate problems automatically.
- Restore service remotely without dispatching a crew.
- Pinpoint outage locations to speed up repairs.
Potomac Edison said this project has been part of Energize365, “FirstEnergy’s $28 billion investment program across its five-state footprint to modernize the electric grid between 2025 and 2029.”
Potomac Edison serves about 285,000 customers in all or parts of Allegany, Carroll, Frederick, Garrett, Howard, Montgomery and Washington counties in Maryland and about 155,000 customers in the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia.