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.