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Stronger, Smarter Power Grid to Improve Reliability for 6,000+ Customers in Berks County
A major upgrade to the electric grid is underway to bring more electricity to the region and support faster power restoration for more than 6,000 FirstEnergy Pennsylvania (FE PA) customers in Berks County.
About this update from Firstenergy Corp.
[{"type":"text","content":"New transmission substation and power line to strengthen grid, support economic growth ","length":86,"tagName":"p"},{"type":"text","content":"READING, Pa., Feb. 19, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- A major upgrade to the electric grid is underway to bring more electricity to the region and support faster power restoration for more than 6,000 FirstEnergy Pennsylvania (FE PA) customers in Berks County.","length":254,"tagName":"p"},{"type":"image","alt":"The Van Reed 69-kV Transmission Project includes constructing a new substation in Bern Township (pictured here) and adding a nearly four mile, high-voltage power line on a combination of wood and steel poles that add additional strength to the system.","displaySize":"","headline":null,"caption":"The Van Reed 69-kV Transmission Project includes constructing a new substation in Bern Township (pictured here) and adding a nearly four mile, high-voltage power line on a combination of wood and steel poles that add additional strength to the system.","className":"","disableSlideshowImg":false,"size":{"original":{"width":400,"height":348,"url":"https://media.zenfs.com/en/prnewswire.com/779ecfa0673c7c357b48990e9f2aa5bc"},"resized":{"url":"https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/abEpJP0DN4LoAFUBDK_PSw--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTcwNTtoPTYxMztjZj13ZWJw/https://media.zenfs.com/en/prnewswire.com/779ecfa0673c7c357b48990e9f2aa5bc","width":400,"height":348}},"href":"https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2916713/FirstEnergy_Substation_Feb_2026.html","hrefExternal":true,"rel":"nofollow"},{"type":"text","content":"Led by Mid-Atlantic Interstate Transmission LLC (MAIT), a FirstEnergy Transmission company, the Van Reed 69-kV Transmission Project includes constructing a new substation in Bern Township and adding a nearly four mile, high-voltage power line on a combination of wood and steel poles that add additional strength to the system. The work is designed to reduce outages around Reading, Bern Township and Leesport and support growth in southeastern Pennsylvania.","length":458,"tagName":"p"},{"type":"text","content":"Mark Mroczynski, President of Transmission for FirstEnergy: "With valuable input from community members and public officials, we're delivering a project that reflects their feedback and supports what matters most to the region. This solution enhances service reliability for everyday custome...