HOLMDEL, N.J., July 22, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Customers in parts of Somerset County are experiencing fewer power outages and quicker restoration times resulting from recent upgrades by Jersey Central Power &amp; Light

HOLMDEL, N.J., July 22, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Customers in parts of Somerset County are experiencing fewer power outages and quicker restoration times resulting from recent upgrades by Jersey Central Power &amp; Light (JCP&amp;L).
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More than $3 million in JCP&amp;L investments to strengthen the electric system have reduced outages by as much as half and restored outages up to 62% faster in Bedminster, Bernards and Bernardsville.Doug Mokoid, FirstEnergy President of New Jersey: &#34;Less time without power means more time for family activities, for stores to sell their goods and for local businesses to drive economic growth. Smart, targeted investments like these help improve reliability in ways customers can see and feel. They grew out of ideas from our employees, who know these neighborhoods and the improvements customers need most.&#34;Stronger Service in The HillsIn Bedminster and Bernards, customers in The Hills neighborhood — where steep terrain and older equipment once caused frequent outages — are now benefiting from a more reliable power system.Recent improvements include:<ul xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" type="disc"><li xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">Upgraded underground and overhead power lines</li><li xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">Enhanced tree trimming to prevent outages</li><li xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">Automation that isolates outages to keep them from spreading and get most customers back on faster</li><li xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">Sectionalizing devices that allow crews to reroute power and keep more customers online during repairs</li></ul>These changes are making a real impact:<ul xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" type="disc"><li xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">Upper Hills: 52% fewer outages and 65% less total time without power</li><li xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">Lower Hills: 38% fewer outages and 56% less total time without power</li></ul>Bernardsville: Outages Down 32%, Restoration 62% FasterA tornado damaged older power lines in hard-to-reach areas along railroad tracks in 2023. JCP&amp;L rebuilt with upgraded, stronger lines to better withstand storms and in a more accessible location so crews can reach problems faster to restore power more quickly.Ongoing Work Across New JerseyThese Somerset County improvements are part of JCP&amp;L&#39;s broader effort to deliver more reliable service across the state.JCP&amp;L invested more than $1 billion in capital improvements last year that enhanced reliability and the customer experience. With another $6.9 billion in planned investments in New Jersey through 2030 under FirstEnergy&#39;s $36 billion Energize365 investment program, the company is building on momentum that&#39;s already producing measurable results.JCP&amp;L, a FirstEnergy Corp. (NYSE:<a class="ticker" href="https://www.benzinga.com/quote/FE">FE</a>) electric company, serves 1.2 million customers in the counties of Burlington, Essex, Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth, Morris, Ocean, Passaic, Somerset, Sussex, Union and Warren. 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Its electric distribution companies form one of the nation&#39;s largest investor-owned electric systems, serving more than 6 million customers in Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, West Virginia, Maryland and New York. The company&#39;s transmission subsidiaries operate approximately 24,000 miles of transmission lines that connect the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic regions. 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the risks associated with physical attacks, such as acts of war, terrorism, sabotage or other acts of violence, and cyber-attacks and other disruptions to our, or our vendors&#39;, information technology system, which may compromise our operations, and data security breaches of sensitive data, intellectual property and proprietary or personally identifiable information; the ability to accomplish or realize anticipated benefits through establishing a culture of continuous improvement and our other strategic and financial goals, including, but not limited to, executing Energize365, our transmission and distribution investment plan, executing on our rate filing strategy, controlling costs, improving credit metrics, maintaining investment grade ratings, strengthening our balance sheet and growing earnings; changing market conditions affecting the measurement of certain liabilities and the value of assets held in our pension trusts may negatively impact our forecasted growth rate, results of operations and may also cause it to make contributions to its pension sooner or in amounts that are larger than currently anticipated; 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Somerset County Upgrades Mean Fewer Outages and Faster Restoration for JCP&L Customers

JCP&L Somerset upgrades support FE’s Energize365 momentum

FirstEnergy’s JCP&L outlines reliability gains from targeted upgrades in Somerset County, with outages and restoration times improving meaningfully in The Hills area. The release ties local capex to broader initiatives, noting FE’s Energize365 program includes $6.9B in planned NJ investments through 2030 and more than $1B in capex last year, underpinning longer-term earnings visibility.

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Somerset County Upgrades Mean Fewer Outages and Faster Restoration for JCP&L Customers

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