JCP&L Customers Experiencing Fewer Outages as $95 Million Reliability Project Reaches Midpoint

Rhea-AI Summary

JCP&L (NYSE: FE) reached the midpoint of a $95 million New Jersey Reliability Improvement Project, reporting fewer outages after 2025 upgrades. Nearly 16,500 customers in parts of Morris and Monmouth saw >80% fewer outages year-over-year. The program upgrades 18 circuits; three county projects aim to help nearly 10,000 customers by year-end.

The work includes strengthened poles and wires, undergrounding, smart devices, reconfigurations and increased tree trimming. This effort is part of FirstEnergy's broader $28 billion Energize365 investment for 2025–2029 to modernize the grid.

Positive

• Outages down >80% for nearly 16,500 customers in 2025
• $95M project reached midpoint, targeting 18 circuits
• Nearly 10,000 customers to benefit from three county projects by year-end
• $28B Energize365 grid investment planned for 2025–2029

Negative

• None.

News Market Reaction

+1.90%

1 alert

+1.90% News Effect

On the day this news was published, FE gained 1.90%, reflecting a mild positive market reaction.

Data tracked by StockTitan Argus on the day of publication.

Key Figures

Project investment: $95 million Outage reduction: 80% drop Customers improved: 16,500 customers +5 more

8 metrics

Project investment $95 million New Jersey Reliability Improvement Project total budget

Outage reduction 80% drop Outage decline for targeted 2025 customers vs prior year

Customers improved 16,500 customers Morris and Monmouth counties saw outage reductions in 2025

Circuits upgraded 18 circuits Total circuits included in New Jersey Reliability Improvement Project

Customers benefited 10,000 customers Customers expected to see improved reliability from three 2026 projects

Grid program spend $28 billion FirstEnergy planned investments for 2025–2029 under Energize365

JCP&L customers 1.2 million Customers served across 13 New Jersey counties

Total customers More than six million Customers served by FirstEnergy electric distribution companies

Market Reality Check

Price: $50.10 Vol: Volume 4,410,855 is below...

normal vol

$50.10 Last Close

Volume Volume 4,410,855 is below 20-day average 5,289,654 (relative volume 0.83x). normal

Technical Price $47.93 is trading above the 200-day MA at $43.97, near the $48.20 52-week high.

Peers on Argus

FE was up 0.57% pre-news. Peers showed mixed but mostly positive moves: AEE +0.4...

3 Up

FE was up 0.57% pre-news. Peers showed mixed but mostly positive moves: AEE +0.44%, ES +1.62%, EIX +2.02%, WEC +0.37%, while PPL slipped -0.41%. Scanner momentum flagged AEE, PCG, and FTS all moving up, but FE was not part of that momentum group.

Common Catalyst At least one peer (AEE) also highlighted grid reliability upgrades, suggesting a shared focus on infrastructure and service quality across regulated utilities.

Historical Context

5 past events · Latest: Feb 09 (Positive)

Pattern 5 events

Date	Event	Sentiment	Move	Catalyst
Feb 09	Reliability upgrade	Positive	+0.4%	Announced $30M grid upgrades for ~25,000 Monmouth County customers under Energize365.
Feb 04	Regulatory filing	Neutral	-1.0%	Filed Pennsylvania Default Service Plan outlining 2027–2031 power procurement structure.
Feb 04	ESG initiative	Positive	-1.0%	Reported 30,000+ trees planted in 2025 and 26,000 planned for 2026 across service area.
Feb 04	Clean buses pilot	Positive	-1.0%	Secured approval for $11.1M pilot to help Maryland schools adopt zero-emission buses.
Jan 30	Customer bill relief	Neutral	+0.0%	Announced state-funded bill credits for over 247,000 Maryland residential customers.

Pattern Detected

Recent operational and regulatory news tended to generate modest moves, with a mix of aligned and divergent reactions to broadly positive infrastructure and ESG updates.

Recent Company History

Over the past few weeks, FE has repeatedly highlighted grid and customer-focused initiatives. On Jan 30, Maryland customers were granted bill credits, with almost no price reaction. In early February, FE announced an $11.1M electric-bus pilot and large-scale tree-planting and sustainability efforts, both followed by roughly 1% declines. By Feb 9, a $30M reliability upgrade for 25,000 Monmouth County customers saw a modestly positive move. Today’s JCP&L reliability update fits this pattern of incremental grid investment and service improvements.

Market Pulse Summary

This announcement underscores FE’s focus on reliability, detailing a $95 million New Jersey Reliabil...

Analysis

This announcement underscores FE’s focus on reliability, detailing a $95 million New Jersey Reliability Improvement Project that has already cut outages by more than 80% for 16,500 customers and targets nearly 10,000 more by year-end. It fits within the broader Energize365 plan to invest $28 billion from 2025–2029 in a smarter, more resilient grid. Investors may watch execution on the remaining 18 circuits, regulatory treatment of these investments, and future reliability metrics.

Key Terms

substation, transmission lines, underground cable

3 terms

substation technical

"near the Glen Gardner substation plus new transformers and devices"

A substation is a fenced facility on the electricity network where equipment changes the voltage, routes power, and protects the grid so electricity can move safely and reliably from generation to homes and businesses. Investors care because substations are critical pieces of infrastructure: they affect service reliability, grid capacity and upgrade costs, and can influence the value and operating risk of utilities, real estate near outages, and companies in the energy supply chain.

transmission lines technical

"operate approximately 24,000 miles of transmission lines that connect the Midwest"

High-voltage towers and cables that carry electricity from power plants to cities and substations, like highways that move energy rather than cars. For investors, transmission lines are long-lived, capital-intensive assets whose condition, capacity and regulatory treatment affect utility revenues, reliability and the ability to connect new generation; bottlenecks or upgrades can change costs, permit timelines and future returns.

underground cable technical

"and 1,000 feet of new underground cable near the Glen Gardner substation"

An underground cable is an insulated electrical or telecommunications line buried below ground to carry power, data or signals instead of running on overhead poles. For investors, these cables matter because they involve higher installation and maintenance costs but offer lower visual impact, reduced outage risk from storms, and different regulatory and permitting requirements; like burying pipes instead of leaving hoses on the lawn, the trade-offs affect project budgets, timelines and long-term reliability.

AI-generated analysis. Not financial advice.

Upgrades in Hunterdon, Ocean and Warren Counties move the project into home stretch

HOLMDEL, N.J., Feb. 12, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Thousands of Jersey Central Power & Light (JCP&L) customers saw fewer power outages last year as the company reached the halfway point of its $95 million New Jersey Reliability Improvement Project – a multi-year effort to make the electric system stronger and more dependable.

In parts of Morris and Monmouth counties, nearly 16,500 customers experienced more than an 80% drop in outages in 2025 compared to the year before, thanks to upgrades on local power lines targeted by the project.

Doug Mokoid, FirstEnergy's President, New Jersey: "These improvements are keeping lights on more often and getting them back on faster when they do go out. We're seeing real improvements, and we're committed to making smart investments to bring that same level of reliability to even more communities as this work continues."

Investments Driving Results
To reduce the number and length of outages, JCP&L is improving areas that have had frequent service interruptions by:

• Strengthening poles and wires so they hold up better during storms.
• Moving certain power lines underground in places where overhead equipment is more easily damaged.
• Adding smart equipment that can automatically detect problems and restore power faster.
• Adjusting how local lines are arranged so fewer customers lose power when something goes wrong.
• Increasing tree trimming to help prevent branches and vegetation from causing outages.

More Improvement on the Way
The New Jersey Reliability Improvement Project includes upgrades to 18 circuits – groups of neighborhood power lines – across JCP&L's service area. Work is already underway on seven of them, with three more starting this month and six beginning in early 2026.

Upcoming work includes:

• Hunterdon County: More than seven miles of upgraded overhead line and 1,000 feet of new underground cable near the Glen Gardner substation plus new transformers and devices, giving crews more flexibility to keep customers powered.
• Southern Ocean County: A new 4.3‑mile power line along Route 9 and additional smart devices to reduce the number of customers affected during an outage.
• Warren County: Upgrades to more than nine miles of power lines and new protective equipment for customers served by the Blairstown substation.

These three projects, scheduled to finish by year-end, will improve reliability for nearly 10,000 customers.

Part of a Bigger Investment in Reliability
JCP&L's New Jersey Reliability Improvement Project is part of Energize365, FirstEnergy's long-term investment program to modernize and strengthen the electric grid. FirstEnergy plans to invest $28 billion between 2025 and 2029 to build a smarter, more resilient grid that meets the evolving needs of communities across the service area.

JCP&L serves 1.2 million customers in the counties of Burlington, Essex, Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth, Morris, Ocean, Passaic, Somerset, Sussex, Union and Warren. Follow JCP&L on X @JCP_L, on Facebook at facebook.com/JCPandL or online at jcp-l.com.

FirstEnergy Corp. (NYSE: FE) 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 on X @FirstEnergyCorp or online at firstenergycorp.com.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/jcpl-customers-experiencing-fewer-outages-as-95-million-reliability-project-reaches-midpoint-302686872.html

SOURCE FirstEnergy Corp.

FAQ

What did JCP&L (FE) announce on February 12, 2026 about the reliability project?

They announced the $95 million New Jersey Reliability Improvement Project reached its midpoint. According to the company, upgrades cut outages by over 80% for nearly 16,500 customers in parts of Morris and Monmouth in 2025.

How many circuits and customers does JCP&L's reliability project target (FE)?

The project targets upgrades to 18 circuits across JCP&L's service area. According to the company, three upcoming county projects will improve reliability for nearly 10,000 customers by year-end.

What specific upgrades is JCP&L implementing under the $95M project (FE)?

JCP&L is strengthening poles and wires, undergrounding lines, adding smart devices and increasing tree trimming. According to the company, these changes aim to shorten outages and restore power faster.

How does the JCP&L project fit into FirstEnergy's broader investment plan (FE)?

The project is part of FirstEnergy's Energize365 program and its $28 billion investment for 2025–2029. According to the company, this funds grid modernization and resilience across its service area.

Which counties will see new work and what are the expected local impacts from JCP&L (FE)?

Hunterdon, southern Ocean and Warren counties will receive line upgrades, underground cable and new protective equipment. According to the company, these projects will boost flexibility and reduce customer impacts during outages.