NEW YORK, NY — Three years after Hurricane Sandy ravaged the Northeast, Con Edison continues to reinforce its overhead and underground energy delivery systems with multiple layers of storm protections.
Since initiating a four-year, $1 billion storm-hardening Fortifying the Future
program, Con Edison has averted more than 65,000 customer outages. This year approximately $307 million has been invested to help reduce storm-related customer outages in New York City and Westchester County.
The improvements include the installation of multiple “smart switches” designed to isolate and clear trouble on overhead electrical lines.
How a “Smart Switch” Works
Con Edison has also:
· Redesigned and installed more than 300 easily detachable electrical wire service connections, reducing damage to customers’ property and utility poles.
· Erected more than one mile of concrete flood walls around critical equipment in electric substations and steam generating stations.
· Redesigned underground electrical networks in lower Manhattan to limit the number of customers that lose service when the company must de-energize equipment during flooding.
· Installed more than 550 pieces of submersible equipment in flood zones, facilitating faster restoration.
· Installed 3,000 expansive foam seals in conduits, and more than 180 watertight flood doors in electric substations and steam generating stations.
· Installed manholes and conduits at 47 locations to house submersible remote monitoring devices for the steam system.
· Installed three large steam isolation valves and gates to help reduce coastal storm impacts on steam customers’ equipment, and to prevent storm surges from the East River and Hudson River from entering into three steam stations.
· Installed 500 submersible remote monitoring devices to assess steam equipment.
· Installed 2,800 special vent line protectors to prevent water from entering gas lines, and replaced cast iron and steel gas pipes in flood-prone areas.
More Storm Hardening Work
In addition, the company is installing stronger, tree-branch resistant aerial power lines and utility poles that can withstand wind gusts up to 110 mph; elevating a critical substation control room significantly above estimated storm surge levels; installing new concrete and steel storm surge walls around eight coastal substations; and installing back-up electric generators at eight major electric and steam facilities to power flood control equipment.