Allegheny Power Invests $156M in West Virginia Reliability Upgrades

Allegheny Power, the electric delivery arm of Allegheny Energy Inc., has spent $156 million over the past two years on infrastructure upgrades and new construction across West Virginia. The utility serves over 500,000 homes and businesses in the Mountain State, and it operates year‑round to guarantee reliable electric service.

“Our top priority is to deliver dependable electricity with the flip of a switch or a push of a button—whether it’s a scorching summer day in Parkersburg or a snowy winter night in Berkeley Springs,” said Rodney Dickens, president of Allegheny Power. “We continuously monitor, maintain, and enhance Allegheny’s electric system to provide our customers with the highest quality service.”

Allegheny’s comprehensive reliability program includes preventive inspections and maintenance of lines, substations and other equipment; strategic infrastructure investment; proactive tree trimming; staff training; and rigorous testing and updating of operational systems. Key West Virginia upgrades comprise:

• $72 million for transmission and distribution projects that add or expand service for customers;
• $51 million for transmission line and substation projects, excluding the new TrAIL and PATH lines;
• $17 million for distribution maintenance and reliability improvement projects;
• $10 million for replacing distribution equipment such as overhead lines, underground cable, meters and utility poles.

Over 15 critical projects have been completed in West Virginia, including:

• Replacement of circuit breakers at substations in Harrison, Monongalia, Wood, Hancock and Berkeley counties;
• Installation or replacement of transformers at three substations in Greenbrier County and two in Marion County, as well as substations in Hardy, Hampshire and Doddridge counties;
• Rehabilitation of a transmission line in Wood and Wirt counties;
• Installation of a new transformer and line upgrades at a Monongalia County substation;
• Replacement of conductors on a transmission line in Berkeley County;
• Extension of 138‑kilovolt service to the Fort Martin power plant substation in partnership with the scrubber project at the Monongalia County facility;
• Construction of new distribution circuits or upgrades in the Sabraton, Charles Town and Shepherdstown areas to support commercial and residential load growth;
• Installation of additional fuses, switches and fault‑indicating devices on over 260 distribution circuits across the service territory, enabling faster identification and restoration of outages.

Since September 2008, Allegheny has invested nearly $26 million in vegetation management within West Virginia’s northern and eastern panhandle. Tree contacts with power lines are a leading cause of service interruptions, especially during storms.

Allegheny’s total investment in infrastructure improvement and new construction for 2008‑2009 across its four‑state service territory will exceed $360 million, excluding the TrAIL and PATH projects.

About Allegheny Energy

Headquartered in Greensburg, Pa., Allegheny Energy is an investor‑owned electric utility generating and delivering low‑cost, reliable service to about 1.6 million customers across Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Maryland and Virginia. With annual revenues surpassing $3 billion and more than 4,000 employees, Allegheny operates generating facilities and serves over 510,000 customers and 1,750 employees in West Virginia alone, covering 47 counties in the state’s northern and eastern panhandle.