Hudson Public Power briefs council on reliability, AMI meters and FirstEnergy coordination after windstorm outages
March 17, 2026 | Hudson City Council, Hudson, Summit County, Ohio
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Hudson Public Power (HPP) provided a detailed briefing at the March 17 workshop on system reliability, meter modernization, mutual-aid discussions with FirstEnergy and options for increasing renewable energy in the city’s portfolio.
Kevin (Hudson Public Power) walked council through staffing and infrastructure metrics, describing 190 miles of distribution and roughly 7,111 meters/customers. He said HPP’s average outage duration is typically about 43 minutes — better than regional and class averages — and outage frequency (SAIFI) was around 0.48 for 2025, which compares favorably with peer utilities.
Kevin described planned work: an AMI meter study this year followed by a proposal next year, a tree-trimming program that cycles quadrants annually and a budgeting approach for meter replacement. He also reviewed a long-running dialogue with FirstEnergy over recurring outages in parts of Hudson and said FirstEnergy had been slow to implement infrastructure improvements the companies discussed in 2023–25. "FirstEnergy had 0 interest in selling us any of these assets," he said, describing unsuccessful talks about purchasing distribution assets; he added that FirstEnergy proposed some improvements but had not completed them as promised.
On generation and clean-energy options, HPP staff reviewed multiple proposals on the agenda: a 2.5 MW Bright Mountain Solar schedule (out-of-region) and a Potomac Energy combined-cycle schedule. Kevin said his consultant recommends that if Hudson wants guaranteed, long-term benefits, the city should prioritize behind-the-meter generation where the city would capture transmission savings and full capacity credit rather than a long 25-year out-of-region solar PPA. He also outlined how battery storage interacts with installed capacity and peak-demand charges and said battery pairing can be beneficial if sited to reduce the city’s peak.
Council discussion touched on whether HPP should pursue more local behind-the-meter solar (for example at YDC or near the substation), how data centers and large new loads could change price dynamics, and whether the city should escalate pressure on FirstEnergy to deliver promised improvements on circuits with chronic outages.
What to watch
- Staff to return with an AMI study and a proposal for behind-the-meter options and possible site options for solar plus batteries.
- Council may choose to pursue stronger coordination with FirstEnergy or explore targeted tree-trimming/line relocation projects that require FirstEnergy cooperation.
Representative quotes
- "Hudson Public Power is typically as a 43 minute outage." — Kevin (HPP)
- "FirstEnergy had 0 interest in selling us any of these assets." — Kevin (HPP)
Kevin (Hudson Public Power) walked council through staffing and infrastructure metrics, describing 190 miles of distribution and roughly 7,111 meters/customers. He said HPP’s average outage duration is typically about 43 minutes — better than regional and class averages — and outage frequency (SAIFI) was around 0.48 for 2025, which compares favorably with peer utilities.
Kevin described planned work: an AMI meter study this year followed by a proposal next year, a tree-trimming program that cycles quadrants annually and a budgeting approach for meter replacement. He also reviewed a long-running dialogue with FirstEnergy over recurring outages in parts of Hudson and said FirstEnergy had been slow to implement infrastructure improvements the companies discussed in 2023–25. "FirstEnergy had 0 interest in selling us any of these assets," he said, describing unsuccessful talks about purchasing distribution assets; he added that FirstEnergy proposed some improvements but had not completed them as promised.
On generation and clean-energy options, HPP staff reviewed multiple proposals on the agenda: a 2.5 MW Bright Mountain Solar schedule (out-of-region) and a Potomac Energy combined-cycle schedule. Kevin said his consultant recommends that if Hudson wants guaranteed, long-term benefits, the city should prioritize behind-the-meter generation where the city would capture transmission savings and full capacity credit rather than a long 25-year out-of-region solar PPA. He also outlined how battery storage interacts with installed capacity and peak-demand charges and said battery pairing can be beneficial if sited to reduce the city’s peak.
Council discussion touched on whether HPP should pursue more local behind-the-meter solar (for example at YDC or near the substation), how data centers and large new loads could change price dynamics, and whether the city should escalate pressure on FirstEnergy to deliver promised improvements on circuits with chronic outages.
What to watch
- Staff to return with an AMI study and a proposal for behind-the-meter options and possible site options for solar plus batteries.
- Council may choose to pursue stronger coordination with FirstEnergy or explore targeted tree-trimming/line relocation projects that require FirstEnergy cooperation.
Representative quotes
- "Hudson Public Power is typically as a 43 minute outage." — Kevin (HPP)
- "FirstEnergy had 0 interest in selling us any of these assets." — Kevin (HPP)
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