Residents of New Oxford have endured a challenging week with daily power outages attributed to transformer problems exacerbated by the sweltering heat. According to Fred Widdowson, a longtime resident, outages have been rare until this week, impacting daily life significantly.

The issues stem from the main transformer at the New Oxford Met-Ed power substation, which required repairs months ago, as explained by Todd Meyers, a spokesperson for Met-Ed. The temporary mobile transformer brought in to manage the load tripped on Monday due to increased demand from air conditioners during 96-degree temperatures, affecting about 2,000 customers for four hours.

Repairs to the main transformer were completed Tuesday, but subsequent issues led to further outages. On Wednesday, another outage affected around 400 customers when the mobile unit tripped again under continued high demand.

Met-Ed's substation team is actively assessing the main transformer's condition to resolve these issues promptly. Meyers acknowledged the frustration of affected customers and expressed gratitude for their patience during this challenging period.

Fred Widdowson, among others, has sought assistance through the Pennsylvania Public Utilities Commission and local representatives to address the recurring outages. Despite temporary relief from heat, residents remain concerned about future outages, prompting some, including Widdowson, to consider installing whole-home generators.

As the community waits for resolution, Met-Ed continues to work diligently to restore stability to the New Oxford area's power supply.

Source: eveningsun.com