Mon Power Deploys Aerial Saw to Trim Trees in Hard-to-Access Areas

Saw will trim along high-voltage transmission lines in 19 counties through end of year

FAIRMONT, W.Va., May 22, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- FirstEnergy Corp. (NYSE: FE) subsidiary Mon Power is using a helicopter equipped with an aerial saw to trim trees and ensure proper clearance around more than 230 miles of high-voltage power lines in its West Virginia service area. The work is expected to be completed by the end of this year.

The aerial saw will be trimming along transmission lines located in Berkeley, Doddridge, Hampshire, Harrison, Jefferson, Mineral, Monongalia, Morgan, Nicholas, Pleasants, Pocahontas, Preston, Randolph, Ritchie, Tucker, Tyler, Upshur, Webster and Wood counties.

Maintaining proper clearances around transmission lines and electrical equipment can help prevent or minimize the impact of tree-related power outages, especially those associated with severe weather during the summer and winter storm seasons. Clearing incompatible vegetation under power lines also gives company personnel easier access to inspect and maintain lines and make repairs quicker if an outage occurs.

Jim Myers, President, West Virginia and Maryland: "Keeping our high-voltage power lines clear of potential interference is an important part of maintaining system reliability, and the aerial saw allows us to cover hundreds of transmission miles every year in a safe, efficient manner."

Suspended on a boom beneath the helicopter and equipped with multiple 24-inch rotary blades, the aerial saw is typically deployed along transmission lines in areas that are environmentally sensitive or inaccessible to bucket trucks and other vehicles. This method of trimming typically covers more area in a day than a ground crew might complete in a week. The saw also eliminates the risk of injury to workers using bucket trucks or climbing trees to cut limbs near high-voltage equipment.

The saw cleanly cuts tree limbs 8 to 10 inches in diameter, which fall straight to the ground propelled by air blasts from the helicopter rotors. Ground crews move limbs that have fallen onto roads, yards, agricultural fields or in streams. The ground crew will also flag and stop motorists along roads if the aerial saw is working nearby.

The helicopter flies above and alongside transmission lines and may circle around to perform additional trimming. The pilot communicates with local airport personnel whenever the helicopter is operating within their air space. The helicopter and saw are owned and operated by Aerial Solutions and will work only as weather conditions permit.

On the ground, contractors have trimmed trees along more than 1,700 miles of distribution power lines across the Mon Power service area. The company remains on track to complete an additional 3,500 miles of tree-trimming work by the end of the year.

Mon Power serves about 395,000 customers in 34 West Virginia counties. Follow Mon Power at mon-power.com, on X @MonPowerWV, and on Facebook at facebook.com/MonPowerWV.

FirstEnergy is dedicated to integrity, safety, reliability and operational excellence. Its electric distribution companies form one of the nation's largest investor-owned electric systems, serving more than six million customers in Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, West Virginia, Maryland and New York. The company's transmission subsidiaries operate approximately 24,000 miles of transmission lines that connect the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic regions. Follow FirstEnergy online at firstenergycorp.com and on X @FirstEnergyCorp.

Editor's Note: Photos of workers trimming trees near FirstEnergy power lines are available for download on Flickr. B-roll of the aerial saw in action is available on YouTube.

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SOURCE FirstEnergy Corp.