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JCP&L briefs Monroe council on outages and $4.7 million reliability upgrades
Summary
Jersey Central Power & Light told Monroe Township council that recent outages affecting thousands of customers were driven by wind, vegetation and device recloser operations; the utility outlined $4.7 million in planned investments (circuit ties, smart protection devices, substation and distribution upgrades) expected to be completed by the end of 2028 to reduce outage scope and restoration times.
Representatives from Jersey Central Power & Light addressed Monroe Township council on Feb. 9, 2026 to explain three recent outage events and outline planned system upgrades for the township. JCP&L reported an outage Nov. 16 that affected about 5,000 customers, an outage Nov. 23 affecting about 2,000 customers (restored in about 80 minutes), and a Dec. 3 incident affecting roughly 2,000 customers (restored in about 20 minutes); causes included wind-related faults, a fallen tree, and automatic recloser operations that required crews to patrol circuits before re-energizing.
JCP&L said planned mitigation measures include four new circuit ties to allow alternate feeds, approximately seven smart protection devices to isolate faults and reduce customer impact, three substation upgrades for capacity and automated restoration, and targeted distribution upgrades on three circuits identified as high-priority. The company estimated about $4.7 million in investment for these projects with a target completion date by the end of 2028 and committed to sending the township talking points and street lists for upcoming vegetation-management work.
Council members pressed JCP&L on persistent street-light outages and LED-conversion costs; the utility said reporting channels include an online street-light form and social-media options, that backlog repairs have been addressed in many areas, and that LED or solar replacements must follow tariff rules and typically require a municipal request or funding arrangement because upgrades can carry per-fixture costs under Board of Public Utilities tariffs.
On rate increases raised by residents in public comment, JCP&L explained that generation charges are market-driven pass-throughs (PJM/BGS auctions) and that the utility does not profit from generation increases. Company officials said they are assigning customer-relations staff for homeowners associations and will continue coordination with the township to improve response times and communication.
