This year, the Illuminating Company intends to spend $4 million on enhancements for its underground power system in the Greater Cleveland area, capping five years worth of investments.
To date, the company had invested more than $15 million into the project to improve reliability for nearly 536,000 customers. Some 11,000 miles of underground wire cross the region to supply those customers. This latest investment, however, will focus on approximately eight miles of those lines in Strongsville, Ohio, and 15 miles across the Cleveland area. Aging, uncoated lines will be replaced with more durable lines boasting thick shell coatings.
“This work demonstrates our commitment to hardening our system against power outages so we can keep power flowing to our customers around the clock,” Mark Jones, regional president of The Illuminating Company, said. “We operate one of the nation’s largest underground electric systems, and these upgrades allow us to continue providing safe, dependable power to our customers.”
Specifically, the hardening of these lines will boost their capabilities in the face of natural elements like dirt, rocks, lightning, and water. More than 90 miles of underground lines have been replaced so far, with work designed to focus on areas that would most benefit, as based on outage patterns across the service territory.