PSEG Long Island is prepared to meet peak demand during extreme heat situations in the upcoming summer months. The system improvements made throughout the company will help provide best-in-class electric reliability to Long Island and Rockaway customers all year long.
Operating under its COVID-19 pandemic plan, PSEG Long Island continues to work on essential reliability projects. Across Long Island and the Rockaways, the company's summer preparation efforts have focused on improvements to substations and transmission and distribution (T&D) equipment, as well as inspections of existing circuits and equipment using drones and helicopters equipped with infrared technology.
"Our job is to ensure customers have the reliable electric system they need to power their lives, and to be ready to respond to any situation, pandemic or no pandemic, when needed," said John O'Connell, vice president, T&D, PSEG Long Island. "By making strategic investments, we're building a more robust and resilient electric grid that will serve our customers well into the future."
PSEG Long Island's recent system improvements include:
New transformers installed in Hauppauge, Elmont, Hempstead, and Malverne substations to provide additional capacity during peak demand
New distribution feeder lines installed in North Lindenhurst and Rockaway Beach areas to accommodate load growth
Distribution circuits upgraded in Riverhead, Mineola, Carle Place, Massapequa, and Rockaway Beach to improve circuit reliability
A voltage regulation device installed at the Whiteside substation to optimize power flow in the area
Two capacitor banks installed at the Deer Park and MacArthur substations to support voltage locally and provide quality power to the respective areas
26 transmission system circuit breakers added or replaced for enhanced system reliability
Since the implementation of the storm hardening program funded by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in 2014, storm hardening and reliability work has been completed on approximately 99% of the circuits identified for improvements. This significant infrastructure investment stretches all the way from the Rockaways to Shelter Island. Storm-hardened circuits have seen a significant reduction in storm damage and 45% fewer outages.
As the company's initial five-year program concludes, PSEG Long Island will continue storm hardening its electric circuits with Power On, a new initiative that will strengthen distribution lines along the most vulnerable circuits across Long Island and the Rockaways. Work on the first circuits began in April 2020 and will continue over the next five years.
To further protect the electric system from storm damage, arborists from PSEG Long Island's Tree Trimming program work throughout the year to identify and trim tree limbs in rights of way and along easements that could potentially cause outages during or after a storm.
The company's preparedness program for summer also includes conducting annual hurricane and tropical storm drills and employee training, developing emergency summer operating plans, and performing summer peak reliability analysis.
