A full decade of planning and strengthening
the electric infrastructure against extreme weather has increased
reliability and resilience
UNIONDALE, N.Y., May 3, 2024
/PRNewswire/ -- PSEG Long Island has spent the last decade
preparing the utility and the electric grid for hurricanes and
other extreme weather. On National Hurricane Preparedness Week,
May 5-11, the company announced it is
also developing a proactive Climate Change Resilience Plan in
partnership with the Long Island Power Authority (LIPA) to address
changes in weather patterns projected to occur over the coming
decades.
"Long Island and the Rockaways
are part of a land mass that juts far out into the Atlantic Ocean,
making our communities more susceptible to extreme weather events
than the rest of New York State,"
said David Lyons, PSEG Long Island's
interim president and COO. "From the day we started in 2014, PSEG
Long Island has been making the improvements necessary to reduce
and shorten outages when they do occur, and we are developing a
comprehensive plan to address future risks posed by climate change.
We also encourage customers to be aware of the risks of severe
weather such as hurricanes and to make sure they are prepared."
"Together, LIPA and PSEG Long Island's mission is to provide
safe, reliable, and affordable energy to our customers across
Long Island and the Rockaways,
said John Rhodes, acting chief
executive officer of LIPA. "Understanding climate science is
critically important as we look to navigate the increasing risks
our Island and electric grid face now and in the future."
PSEG Long Island's storm hardening improvements
PSEG
Long Island has spent a full decade strengthening the electric
infrastructure against extreme weather, resulting in an electric
grid that is more resilient than ever. Excluding catastrophic
storms, the sections of circuits that PSEG Long Island has
storm-hardened have seen a 72% reduction in damage leading to
outages in the past decade, compared with the rest of the
distribution system.
From 2014 through 2020, PSEG Long Island deployed approximately
$730 million in federal funding to
complete storm hardening and reliability work on more than 1,000
miles of mainline distribution circuits to address the weather
impacts seen during Superstorm Sandy in 2012. Existing poles were
replaced with a stronger class pole installed deeper in the ground
to resist the impact of severe wind. Cross-arms, pole hardware, and
primary wire were also upgraded to a new storm hardening standard.
PSEG Long Island also invested in technology and emergency response
process improvements.
Power On, a program that started in the spring of 2020,
continues the work that the Federal Emergency Management Agency
program initiated. Since the launch of Power On, more than 352
miles of the most vulnerable distribution mainline and branch line
circuits on Long Island and in the
Rockaways have been storm hardened with stronger poles and wire,
and other system enhancing devices.
For more storm hardening details, visit
psegliny.com/inthecommunity/currentinitiatives/stormhardeningprojects.
PSEG Long Island's climate change studies to shape proactive
measures in years ahead
PSEG Long Island is also pleased to
announce that the findings of its recent Climate Change
Vulnerability Study are shaping an in-depth Climate Change
Resilience Plan to be published by PSEG Long Island and LIPA later
this year.
The study considered global climate projections through 2080.
Data was downscaled to the PSEG Long Island service area using
New York State Energy Research and
Development Authority and Columbia
University datasets. Supplementary analyses were conducted
for additional hazards, including severe storms such as tropical
cyclones.
Among its many findings, the study considers risks associated
with increases in average daily temperatures and more frequent,
longer heat waves as the century progresses. It also considers
greater asset exposure to coastal flooding due to rising sea
levels, as well as risks associated with a modest increase in the
maximum sustained wind speeds of tropical cyclones. It sets the
stage for proactive initiatives to address them in the Climate
Change Resilience Plan. To view the full study, visit
psegliny.com/inthecommunity/currentinitiatives/CCVS.
The study and resulting resilience plan continue to keep PSEG
Long Island and LIPA aligned with New
York State's expectations of major investor-owned utilities.
In February 2022, an updated Public
Service Law required major investor-owned electric utilities to
conduct a CCVS and develop a CCRP. The Climate Action Council (CAC)
Scoping Plan, released in December
2022, also recommended that LIPA, NYPA and New York State's municipal utilities undertake
studies to identify vulnerability to climate change and establish
resilience plans.
PSEG Long Island is committed to staying aligned with and
integrating rapidly emerging standards and filings pertaining to
sustainability and climate resilience into its practice. While PSEG
Long Island is not required to file a plan with the Public Service
Commission because of its unique regulatory position as a service
provider to LIPA, the company has elected to conduct a CCVS and
develop a CCRP that is largely in line with the efforts being
undertaken by the State's investor-owned electric utilities.
Here's how customers can prepare for a severe storm and other
emergencies:
- Ensure you have a battery-powered radio and fresh
batteries.
- Check your supply of flashlights, blankets, nonperishable food
and bottled water.
- Create an emergency communications plan.
- Develop an evacuation plan.
- Charge your cell phones, tablets and other mobile devices.
- Make sure to have cash available. Banks may be closed or
inaccessible after a storm.
- Fill up your vehicle's fuel tank.
- Compile a list of emergency phone numbers, including PSEG Long
Island's 24-hour Electric Service number: 1-800-490-0075 and Follow
PSEG Long Island on Facebook and X (formerly Twitter) for updates
before, during and after the storm.
For more information about planning for emergencies, visit
psegliny.com/safetyandreliability/stormsafety.
PSEG Long Island
PSEG Long Island operates
the Long Island Power Authority's transmission and distribution
system under a long-term contract. PSEG Long Island is a subsidiary
of Public Service Enterprise Group Inc. (PSEG) (NYSE:PEG), a
publicly traded diversified energy company.
Visit PSEG Long Island
at:
psegliny.com
PSEG Long Island on
Facebook
PSEG Long Island on Instagram
PSEG
Long Island on X (formerly Twitter)
PSEG Long Island on
LinkedIn
PSEG Long Island on YouTube
PSEG Long
Island on Flickr
Contact: Media Relations Pager
516.229.7248
mediarelationsLI@pseg.com
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SOURCE PSEG Long Island