Work is nearly complete on a $2.2 million project to remove an old substation adjacent to the closed Willow Island power plant in Pleasants County. To remove the substation, four regional transmission lines were interconnected with new poles and other equipment. When the project is completed in June, there will be an empty space between the three new wood poles in the foreground and the old power plant. (Photo Provided)

WILLOW ISLAND — The electric company has moved transmission lines away from a Pleasants County substation that will be dismantled next to the decommissioned Willow Island Generating Station, officials said.

The $2.2 million project involved rebuilding four transmission lines to connect with an existing substation near Belmont, according to Mon Power, part of First Energy. Previously, the lines were routed through a substation near the Willow Island power plant, which was closed in 2012.

The project included building 15 new wooden structures, a new steel structure, along with installing additional breakers and other electrical equipment at the substation near Belmont. The salvage company will begin the second week in June.

“This project upgrades electrical equipment on our transmission system in the northwestern edge of Mon Power’s service area,” said Holly Kauffman, president of FirstEnergy’s West Virginia operations. “The new configuration means we won’t have to spend additional money and manpower inspecting and maintaining the older equipment located at the Willow Island site.”

For the final part of the project, a contractor will dismantle the de-energized transmission substation next to the old power plant, removing steel, breakers and other electrical equipment from the site for recycling. That work should be completed in June.

Mon Power recently added new equipment to its transmission substation near Belmont, including three new circuit breakers – one shown to the immediate right of the van. (Photo Provided)

The line relocation project is part of FirstEnergy’s previously announced plans to invest about $166 million this year in distribution and transmission infrastructure projects to enhance service reliability in Mon Power’s service area.

Mon Power, a FirstEnergy electric distribution company, serves about 385,000 customers in 34 West Virginia counties.