PSEG Long Island Circuit Reliability Upgrades Kick Off In Wading River

WADING RIVER, NY — PSEG Long Island has kicked off work to improve reliability of the energy grid in Wading River, officials said this week.

The storm hardening work on the distribution circuit is part of many system improvements included in the “Power On” program, PSEG Long Island said.

"We are working hard to reduce the number of outages that occur during severe weather by strengthening the electric lines that directly power homes and businesses," said Peggy Keane, PSEG Long Island’s vice president of construction and operations services. "This Power On infrastructure improvement project in Wading River is part of PSEG Long Island’s ongoing, multi year effort to continue to improve electric reliability for customers."

The work began in mid-July and will last for approximately two months, officials said.

PSEG Long Island’s licensed and approved contractors will work along distribution lines in Wading River. To ensure traffic moves safely, PSEG Long Island will provide cones, flaggers and signage at the worksites, as needed. Local officials will also be notified in advance regarding any potential traffic concerns.

According to PSEG Long Island, the storm-hardening improvements include:

• Stronger poles: PSEG Long Island will replace some existing utility poles with stronger, more durable poles that are capable of withstanding winds up to 135 miles per hour. The new poles will be about the same height as the existing poles, have a stronger base, and will be placed no more than 5-feet from the current pole locations. PSEG Long Island will actively coordinate the removal of old poles with other utilities and municipalities.
• Narrow profiles: To help wires deflect falling limbs instead of catching them, PSEG Long Island will be installing shorter cross arms atop some poles.
• Stronger wire: Current wire will be replaced with more resilient and durable wire.
• Upgrading: PSEG Long Island will upgrade or replace worn equipment as necessary.

Crews will be working on the following streets in Wading River:

• Sound Road between Greenbriar Road and the intersection at Creek Road and Oak Street

PSEG Long Island prepares year-round for extreme weather to maintain reliable service for its 1.1 million customers, representatives said. Since 2014, the company said it has made "significant investments in strengthening the electric infrastructure." Using funding from both FEMA and LIPA, PSEG Long Island has completed storm hardening and reliability work on more than 1,000 miles of distribution mainline circuits.

Power On, a program that started in the spring of 2020, continues the work now that the FEMA program has concluded. Since the launch of Power On, more than 297 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, thicker wire and other modern equipment, PSEG Long Island said.

The investments have strengthened the system so that fewer customers experience outages and, when they do occur, the duration is shorter, especially during extreme weather, PSEG Long Island said.

From the second quarter of 2022 through the second quarter of 2023, the sections of circuits that are storm hardened saw a 46 percent reduction in damage leading to outages compared to the rest of the distribution system, representatives said.