Enhanced Electric Service Coming to Homes and Businesses in Lehigh and Berks Counties
READING, Pa., Dec. 17, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- A power grid upgrade is underway in southeastern Pennsylvania to enhance electric service for thousands of residents and businesses in Lehigh and Berks counties. The project includes rebuilding a 15-mile stretch of high-voltage power lines and replacing key components at four substations to strengthen the local grid and make outages less common and shorter when they do happen.
Built to Handle What's Ahead
The Allentown-Lyons-South Hamburg 69-kilovolt (kV) Line Rebuild Project, led by Mid-Atlantic Interstate Transmission (MAIT), a FirstEnergy Transmission company, will replace aging infrastructure with stronger poles and modern wires that can better withstand severe weather, falling trees and other hazards that commonly cause outages.
The rebuilt line will improve the flow of electricity through the system, making it easier to reroute power during emergencies or maintenance. This improvement will also support ongoing growth in southeast Pennsylvania, where FirstEnergy Pennsylvania Electric Company does business as Met-Ed. Construction on the project began in August and is expected to be completed in November 2027.
Mark Mroczynski, President of Transmission for FirstEnergy: "Reliability is at the heart of everything we do. This project will help ensure that customers across southeastern Pennsylvania have a stronger, more flexible grid that can minimize outages and handle future growth. We're building a system that works smarter and lasts longer."
What This Work Means for You
As part of the upgrade, four electric substations will be equipped with new conductors – the thick cables that carry electricity in and out of the facility. It's like upgrading from a two-lane road to a four-lane highway: more room for traffic, fewer slowdowns and a smoother ride for everyone.
New higher-capacity wires will help the electric system:
- Handle more electricity during high-demand periods, like hot summer or cold winter days.
- Prevent overloads that can lead to outages.
- Restore power faster when problems do occur.
- Support growth in homes, businesses and infrastructure.
Part of a Bigger Investment in Reliability
This approximately $28 million project is part of Energize365, FirstEnergy's long-term investment program to modernize the electric grid. FirstEnergy plans to invest $28 billion through Energize365 between 2025 and 2029. The goal: a smarter, more secure grid that meets the needs of today's customers and tomorrow's growth.
Met-Ed serves approximately 592,000 customers within 3,300 square miles of eastern and southeastern Pennsylvania. Follow Met-Ed on X @Met Ed and on Facebook at facebook.com/MetEdElectric.
FirstEnergy (NYSE:FE) is dedicated to integrity, safety, reliability and operational excellence. Its electric distribution companies form one of the nation's largest investor-owned electric systems, serving more than six million customers in Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, West Virginia, Maryland and New York. The company's transmission subsidiaries operate approximately 24,000 miles of transmission lines that connect the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic regions. Follow FirstEnergy on X @FirstEnergyCorp or online at firstenergycorp.com.
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SOURCE FirstEnergy Corp.