Jersey Central Power & Light (JCP&L), an electric company of FirstEnergy Corp., is making a strategic infrastructure investment in Northern Monmouth County, building a new high-voltage power line between two substations in Middletown Township and Red Bank Borough.
This project is key to strengthening service for nearly 11,400 JCP&L customers, providing a crucial backup source of electricity. In the event of a main line outage due to severe weather or unexpected failure, the new line will allow JCP&L to quickly reroute power, significantly speeding up restoration times.
The new line replaces existing infrastructure, much of which was originally built in the 1970s, with stronger, more modern equipment designed to better withstand severe weather and common causes of outages like tree and animal interference.
The new high-voltage line includes a complex installation that will place approximately half a mile of power lines underground after crossing the Navesink River Bridge, connecting to a mile of stronger overhead lines installed on existing poles. Construction, which began in September 2025, is expected to be completed by February 2026.
Doug Mokoid, FirstEnergy’s President of New Jersey, underscored the long-term commitment.
“We’re investing in Monmouth County’s energy future to help reduce outages, speed up restoration times and support the growth of our communities for years to come,” Mokoid said.
Key benefits of the upgrade include:
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Faster Restoration: Providing JCP&L with more operational flexibility to restore power quickly during emergencies or maintenance.
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Support for Growth: Strengthening the grid’s reliability, capacity, and flexibility to support future residential and business expansion.
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Increased Resiliency: Enhancing the overall ability of the local electric grid to handle severe weather events.
The Middletown/Red Bank project is just one component of a broader regional focus, which includes a $1.6 million investment dedicated to strengthening the electric system in Northern Monmouth County.
These regional upgrades involve:
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Replacing more than 2.5 miles of aging power lines and poles with newer, tougher equipment.
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Installing advanced technology that can quickly spot problems and automatically protect equipment, minimizing the number of customers affected by an outage.
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Installing new equipment that allows electricity to be moved around problem areas.
Furthermore, JCP&L is executing an additional $36 million project across 76 miles of lines in Monmouth, Essex, Hunterdon, Middlesex, and Morris counties to upgrade aging insulators—components vital to safely securing power lines to poles. Upgrading these decades-old components is expected to dramatically lower the chance of pole fires and electrical issues, leading to fewer outages.
These initiatives are part of FirstEnergy’s massive, long-term Energize365 program, which plans to invest $28 billion between 2025 and 2029 to modernize the electric grid across its service territory, ensuring a smarter, more secure grid for current and future needs. Customers in the affected areas will not experience any service interruptions during the construction phases.
