PSEG Long Island is prepared to meet peak demand during extreme heat situations in the upcoming summer months. Continuous improvements in infrastructure, technology, and communications over the past four years provide best-in-class electric reliability to customers, all year long.

“Providing our customers with the peace of mind knowing that we have a reliable electric system and that we are prepared and ready to respond to any situation when needed is important to PSEG Long Island,” said John O’Connell, vice president of transmission and distribution, PSEG Long Island. “Our employees work year-round to improve the system and prepare for storms to ensure that our customers receive best-in-class electric service.”

Across Long Island and the Rockaways, summer-preparation efforts focus on substation and transmission and distribution improvements, as well as circuit and equipment inspections using helicopters and infrared technology.

System improvements included:

• New transformers installed in Malverne, Syosset, North Lindenhurst, and Middle Island substations to provide additional capacity

• Substations elevated and upgraded in Long Beach, Far Rockaway, and Woodmere to better withstand extreme weather

• New distribution feeders installed in North Lindenhurst, Malverne, Pulaski, Shelter Island, and Syosset to supply load growth

• Distribution circuits upgraded in Long Beach, Floral Park, Hempstead, and Malverne to improve circuit reliability

• Thirty transmission breakers added or replaced for enhanced system reliability

Since the implementation of the storm hardening program funded by FEMA in 2014, storm hardening and reliability work has been completed on more than 177 circuits, covering more than 585 circuit miles, from the Rockaways to Shelter Island. FEMA-funded reliability work is planned for more than 300 circuits, which will cover 1,025 circuit miles across the service territory.

To further protect against storm damage to the electric system, 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. In 2017, PSEG Long Island removed more than 11,000 hazardous trees and/or large limbs along the distribution and transmission system, and trimmed 2,400 miles of distribution and transmission line clearance in accordance with the industry best practice clearance standard. This preserves the health of the tree and directs future growth away from power lines. In addition, a new vine mitigation program was implemented in 2017 which identified, cut, and treated more than 1,500 vine locations across Long Island and the Rockaways.

The utility’s rigorous preparedness program for summer includes conducting annual hurricane and tropical-storm drills and employee training and developing emergency summer operating plans and performing summer peak reliability analysis.

Importantly, PSEG Long Island continues improving customer service through technology advancements. In 2017, PSEG Long Island began offering the option of reporting outages via social media; all customers registered for texting receive proactive alerts providing them with information if an outage occurs. To educate customers on the reliability projects across the service territory, the Strengthening the System website — StrengtheningTheSystem.com — was initiated. Coming soon is a new PSEG Long Island website, a more modern, updated, completely mobile website with simplified content that’s more useful and easier to navigate, providing a better user experience.

PSEG Long Island operates the Long Island Power Authority’s transmission and distribution system under a 12-year contract. PSEG Long Island is a subsidiary of Public Service Enterprise Group Incorporated (NYSE:PEG).

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