PUNXSUTAWNEY – A lightning strike on the Penelec transmission line that serves as the primary feed for electricity to Punxsutawney and the surrounding area interrupted electric service early Saturday morning. Although the outage only lasted a short period of time in Punxsutawney, it lasted a bit longer for 2,300 Penelec customers who are served from the Dixonville East substation north of Clymer as a result of damage done during a copper theft that occurred there earlier.
According to Penelec Area Manager John Shimko, the outage occurred at 3:08 a.m. Saturday morning. Crews were dispatched to the substation and discovered that unknown persons had cut the lock on the gate and also cut a hole in the fence of the substation. Copper was stolen and equipment was damaged. The inability of this equipment to function properly resulted in the outage time being extended for customers served from the Dixonville East substation. Customers were able to be restored while repairs were being made. Major repairs were completed Saturday.
Pennsylvania State Police continue their investigation. Anyone with information about the break-in can contact State Police in Indiana at 724-357-1960.
Copper thefts have become more common in recent years with prices now at an all-time high. During 2007 in the Penelec and Metropolitan Edison (Penelec’s sister company in Eastern PA) service territories, there were 92 incidents reported that involved the theft of copper from substations, poles, service centers and Company vehicles. Most of the substation incidents required the replacement of grounds at a cost of thousands of dollars per substation and numerous hours of labor to complete repairs. In addition, 33 suspects were arrested for some of these incidents and Corporate Security spent significant hours in court as a result of the arrests.
Penelec reminds customers that power interruptions can be reported by calling 1-888-544-4877 or 1-888-LIGHTSS.