FirstEnergy Corp. subsidiaries Potomac Edison and Mid-Atlantic Interstate Transmission (MAIT) have been awarded transmission projects totaling more than US$800 million in Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia by regional transmission organization PJM Interconnection. The projects will enhance reliability, accommodate growing demand for electricity by residential and commercial customers and facilitate the connection of new energy resources, such as wind and solar.

Potomac Edison and MAIT submitted the projects earlier this year when PJM solicited proposals to address the growing demand for electricity by data centers in its territory, particularly in Northern Virginia. The work will also help enhance the flow of electricity across the system and address the impact of power plant retirements that provided 11 gigawatts of energy, enough to power 1.1 billion LED lightbulbs in any given moment, according to the US Department of Energy.

PJM coordinates the movement of wholesale electricity in all or parts of 13 states, including FirstEnergy’s service territory. Beginning in May, PJM’s staff evaluated 72 proposals over several months and recommended a short list of projects to enhance reliability. In December, the PJM Board of Managers approved three FirstEnergy-affiliated projects that minimize environmental and community impacts by utilizing existing transmission rights of way. State and local approvals will be required before construction can begin.

Awarded projects include:

Upgrading an existing 24-mile transmission line that runs from Adams County, Pennsylvania, to Carroll County, Maryland. The upgraded line will feature a new set of 230-kilovolt (kV) wires, known as a circuit, in addition to the existing 115/138-kV circuit currently in the corridor. MAIT will also rewire a nearby 115-kV transmission line and complete additional equipment upgrades as part of the US$135 million project.

Upgrading a transmission line in Frederick and Montgomery counties in Maryland. The current 500-kV and double-circuit 230-kV lines will be rebuilt to accommodate side-by-side transmission structures, each featuring sets of 500-kV wires over 230-kV wires for a total of four circuits. One 500/230-kV double circuit will extend 8 miles from Potomac Edison’s existing Doubs Substation in Frederick County to a substation in Montgomery County owned by Exelon Corp., and the other circuit will continue south another 7 miles to the Virginia state line. The US$235 million project includes associated upgrades at the Doubs Substation.

Upgrading 36 miles of an existing 138-kV transmission line in Virginia and West Virginia to create a double-circuit line with 500-kV wires installed over 138-kV wires. Located in Frederick and Clark counties in Virginia and in Jefferson County, West Virginia, the US$392 million project includes substation upgrades and is part of a larger, 160-mile transmission line project that was awarded by PJM to multiple transmission companies.