Upgrades and expansions to the power system in Butler County are underway as Penn Power begins construction work in the southwestern part of the county.

Work underway includes construction of an 8,000-square-foot distribution substation and installation of automated equipment and technology in substations and along power lines serving more than 20,000 customers in parts of Cranberry, Mars, Evans City, Jackson Township and nearby areas.

“This is an exciting time for economic development in our region as more people realize Butler County is a great place to live and work,” Scott Wyman, president of FirstEnergy’s Pennsylvania operations, said in a statement. “We’re proud to help advance development in the region while strengthening our system to meet the growing demand for safe and reliable power for many years to come.”

FirstEnergy is Penn Power’s parent company.

Foundation work at the new substation site in Cranberry Township recently began, and utility personnel will begin building steel structures at the facility in the spring. The project includes construction of a short, high-voltage power line to connect the new substation with an existing power line nearby.

Penn Power said connections such as these offer a backup power feed that will help keep the lights on for customers if wires or equipment on their regular line are damaged or need to be taken out of service. The substation is expected to be completed and operational by the end of this year.

Once the new facility is in use, homes and businesses in the area will benefit from the installation of new automated reclosing devices in the substation and along power lines. The devices work like a circuit breaker in a home that shuts off power when faced with problems, and will help limit the frequency, duration and scope of service interruptions.

If the device senses a more serious issue, such as a fallen tree on electrical equipment, it will isolate the outage to that area to limit the total number of affected customers and pinpoint the location of the fault to help utility personnel better understand the cause of the outage.

The projects are part of Penn Power’s second phase Long Term Infrastructure Improvement Plan, approved by the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission to help enhance electric service for customers. The company said investments to upgrade the local energy grid have successfully reduced the number and length of outages customers experience by 20% in areas where work has been completed since 2016.