PSEG Set to Kick Off FEMA Circuit Reliability Project On Shelter Island

SHELTER ISLAND, NY — Work will soon begin to increase PSEG's reliability during storms on the East End.

According to a release, PSEG Long Island is beginning its first Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, circuit reliability projects on Shelter Island and in Southampton.

Work crews will be on the East End for the next eight months, strengthening three electric circuits to provide enhanced service to customers, PSEG said.

During the work, PSEG Long Island licensed and approved contractors will focus on routes in Southampton and on Shelter Island, including the Villages of North Haven and Quogue; work will include replacing existing wires, installing new and more durable poles, and installing or replacing switching equipment to help reduce the number of customers affected by an outage, PSEG said.

“PSEG Long Island is currently working on FEMA projects across the service territory and adding the towns of Shelter Island and Southampton allows us to create a more reliable and resilient energy grid for even more of our customers,” said John O’Connell, PSEG Long Island vice president of transmission and distribution operations.

For specifics on the project details, click here.

The projects are funded through the FEMA Hazard Mitigation Assistance Program, established to harden electrical distribution infrastructure against future storm damage and help restore power more quickly, PSEG said.

In 2014, more than $729 million of federal recovery funds was secured for the Long Island Power Authority via an agreement between Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and the Federal Emergency Management Agency under the FEMA 406 Mitigation Program, PSEG said.