FirstEnergy Promises to Invest
This summer has been hard for FirstEnergy customers in northeast Ohio. So far, the region has seen rising electricity rates and a high number of power outages. In answer, FirstEnergy held a public meeting about the outages and made promises to fix the Ohio grid. But are they doing enough? Let’s discuss what FirstEnergy plans to do.
FirstEnergy Outages in Northeast Ohio
Between May 17 and July 17, FirstEnergy customers in the Cleveland area saw 12 outages. Since that time, then number grew after a massive outage last week. The power cut affected to thousands, reaching from western Lakewood east to the center of downtown Cleveland.
As you can guess, local residents and lawmakers are fed up! They want answers and the blackouts to end.
Northeast Ohio Outages Meeting
As a result, FirstEnergy held a town hall meeting to discuss the problem. The meeting drew in over 100 residents and officials who were more than willing to share their anger. Some talked about how the blackouts affected businesses, homes, and medical equipment. In short, they didn’t think the utility is doing enough to make it right.
But, during the meeting, FirstEnergy unveiled a plan to invest $12.5m into grid upgrades. Here’s the breakdown:
- $5K+ to repair and upgrade transformers
- $4M to replace transformers
- $1.6M to replace circuit breakers
- $6.9M to install smart meters
FirstEnergy also talked about hiring foresters to find and remove look for dead, sick, or dying trees. The utility estimates their plan would be complete by 2027 and should make their grid more reliable.
At the end of the meeting, a resident asked for an apology. But while the speaker agreed that the problem was not acceptable, they did not apologize.
What Northeast Ohio Customers Do Next
Right now, we have to wait and see if the FirstEnergy plan will reduce the outage problem. Thankfully, we are getting near the cooler autumn months. This means lower energy need and less strain on the local grid. However, it’s still a good idea to plan ahead just in case.
As always, you can count on https://www.ohenergyratings.com for news and tips that could affect your bills. You can also shop right here for the best energy deals in town.