A helicopter strings a new, high-capacity electric line as part of a $17.5 million upgrade by FirstEnergy to meet growing power demand in southwestern Butler and northern Allegheny counties. A FirstEnergy spokesman said that region is the fastest-growing in the company’s service area stretching from the Ohio-Indiana border to New Jersey. Submitted photo

Keystone Appalachian Transmission Company, FirstEnergy’s transmission subsidiary, will test advanced technologies in Butler County that could make the electric grid more reliable.

KATCo has been selected to participate in a $20.2 million project funded federally and by the company to evaluate technology meant to improve reliability and transmission capacity, according to a Wednesday news release.

The company plans to install advanced equipment to existing transmission lines between Butler and Karns City to evaluate dynamic line ratings. Advanced Power Flow Controllers, which function as traffic signals for electricity, will also be evaluated.

Work is expected to begin in early 2027, and the goal is to better understand how existing infrastructure can meet future energy needs before additional upgrades or new lines are required.

“Customers count on us to provide reliable electric service at a reasonable cost, and that’s what makes this project so important,” said John Hawkins, president of FirstEnergy Pennsylvania. “By evaluating technologies that help us get more from the transmission infrastructure already serving our communities, we’re exploring ways to strengthen reliability and meet rising energy demands for many years.”

The area was selected because certain operating conditions in northern Pennsylvania can create higher power flows on transmission lines locally. The company will be studying how the new technology works and if it can be applied elsewhere.

This pilot project will test technologies that give grid operators greater visibility into system conditions and more flexibility to manage power flows across the transmission network.

KATCo’s initiative is one of several FirstEnergy transmission projects selected to receive U.S. Department of Energy funding, with similar pilot projects in Ohio and West Virginia expected to begin next year.

“Strong partnerships are essential to building the grid of the future,” said Mark Mroczynski, president of transmission for FirstEnergy. “We’re grateful for the federal funding and collaboration that make projects like this possible.”