Orange and Rockland Utilities complete two-year, $17M transmission upgrade amidst COVID-19

After two years, Orange and Rockland Utilities, Inc. (O&R) has completed a $17 million project to overhaul its Ramapo transmission substation in Hillburn, N.Y., that should improve electric reliability and capacity alike.

The project was completed in April, even amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, with the installation of a second electric transmission transformer. Both work by converting high voltage electricity from overhead transmission system to a lower voltage channeled into the area’s electric distribution system. This will help the company better meet high summer demand, even as it has implemented programs to help customers manage bills amidst the pandemic.

“This project represents a major milestone in our daily efforts to improve electric service reliability,” O&R President and CEO Robert Sanchez said. “As we enter the summer season, COVID-19 has made reliability as important as it ever has been. This project makes the entire O&R transmission system stronger, more robust, and more resilient for our families and our community.”

Now, O&R predicts a typical New York residential electric bill will remain about the same this summer when compared to last summer, meaning around $126.08 — 40 cents less overall. Last summer did not come with a public health emergency and stay-at-home orders, however, so O&R has put a temporary halt on shutoffs of electric and natural gas service due to non-payment, halting new late-payment charges for customers and shifting customer service to a 24/7 online service and donated $30,000 to local food organizations, among other efforts.

The Ramapo construction fits into larger investments made by O&R into improving electric reliability. Those efforts have seen more than $140 million invested this year alone and nearly $10 billion over the past decade. Additional electric circuits, undergrounding selective system-critical locations, strengthening distribution poles, and clearing lines were all included in these moves, among others. A shift to smart meters has also been ongoing, with more than $92 million invested into the project since 2017 and plans to install 230,000 electric smart meters and 134,450 smart gas modules by the end of 2020.