FirstEnergy Cuts Lakewood Outage Time 98% With New Substation Transformer
T&D World reports that FirstEnergy’s The Illuminating Co. has installed the first of two new power transformers at the Lakewood Substation in Ohio, a milestone in a broader reliability program covering nearly 11,000 customers in Lakewood and West Cleveland. The 55-ton unit traveled nearly 500 miles from Roanoke, Virginia, over five days before crews lifted it into place by crane. Each transformer represents about $1.85 million in equipment, transportation and installation costs. The first unit is scheduled for energization later this year, with the second expected in service in early 2027; a mobile substation is running in the meantime to maintain service during construction. The broader Lakewood program has also included replacing all four breakers at a nearby substation, upgrading equipment on roughly 167 utility poles since October 2024, installing smart meters and pruning trees at nearly 100 locations. FirstEnergy reported customer outage time in December 2025 dropped 98% versus December 2024, with a 25% reduction in overall outage duration on lines served by the Lakewood Substation.
What It Means for Subcontractors
- Heavy-haul and crane crews should note the specialized logistics involved: a 55-ton transformer moved nearly 500 miles over five days and set by crane, a model utilities may replicate elsewhere and a capability subcontractors can highlight when bidding similar substation work.
- Distribution pole upgrade crews and vegetation management contractors can point to FirstEnergy’s documented results (167 poles upgraded since October 2024, nearly 100 pruning locations, 25% outage duration reduction) as a concrete case study when pitching reliability contracts to other utilities.
- With the second transformer not energized until early 2027, subcontract packages for related substation work, breaker replacement, and pole hardening in the Lakewood/West Cleveland area may still be open; firms should reach out to FirstEnergy’s Ohio unit directly to confirm procurement timing.
