Potomac Edison, a subsidiary of FirstEnergy Corp., has completed construction of a new substation in Berkeley County, delivering improved electric reliability to approximately 2,400 homes and businesses. The facility, finalized in December and located near Spring Mills High School, provides an additional power source for customers in the Falling Waters and Spring Mills areas, which had previously been served by two substations operating near capacity.
The new installation supports Berkeley County’s rapid population and economic growth, reinforcing the local grid to meet rising demand. By adding capacity and integrating modern smart grid technologies, the substation is designed to reduce the frequency and duration of outages while enabling faster service restoration when disruptions occur. Advanced automated systems allow the utility to quickly detect and isolate faults and, in many cases, restore power remotely without dispatching field crews, improving overall operational efficiency and customer experience.
According to company leadership, reliable electricity is essential to sustaining community development, and the new substation reflects an ongoing commitment to strengthening grid resilience in West Virginia and Maryland. The $6.6 million project forms part of Energize365, FirstEnergy’s long-term investment initiative aimed at modernizing and reinforcing the electric system. Through this broader program, FirstEnergy plans to invest $36 billion between 2026 and 2030 to build a more intelligent, secure, and adaptable grid across its multi-state service territory.
Potomac Edison serves approximately 285,000 customers in Maryland and about 155,000 customers in West Virginia’s Eastern Panhandle, while FirstEnergy’s broader electric distribution network reaches more than six million customers across six states. The addition of the Berkeley County substation represents a targeted infrastructure investment intended to ensure dependable service as regional demand continues to expand.
