PSE&G invests more than $2.4B into infrastructure for greater resiliency, reliability
The largest utility in New Jersey, Public Service Electric and Gas (PSE&G), is preparing to bring into service more than $2.4 billion worth of infrastructure investments to better address summer demand.
“Our preparation enables PSE&G customers’ power to stay on more than 99 percent of the time,” Jack Bridges, PSE&G vice president-electric operations, said. “Our infrastructure investments and momentum to modernize have helped us remain one of the nation’s most reliable utility companies, bringing significant benefits to PSE&G customers.”
This year, Bridges pointed to the addition of smart devices throughout the state as part of the effort to bolster safety, resiliency, and reliability. Across the board, though, PSE&G has invested more than $1.7 billion into electric projects and around $715 million into gas projects since last summer. Additionally, it has partially energized the second phase of its $739 million Metuchen-Trenton-Burlington upgrade and, before summer, intends to upgrade the transmission circuits between Brunswick Station and Trenton Station. By 2022, this will expand to include work on a total of 17 electric stations along a 55-mile stretch.
For summer, though, PSE&G predicts a peak of 9,792 MW, higher than last year’s July peak of 9,753 MW. The company expects no issues in meeting this demand.
By December, PSE&G should complete work on six miles of upgraded 230kV overhead transmission circuits running between the Aldene Station and Linden VFT Station. It has already completed approximately 3 miles of the $90 million project.
Through 2023, the company also intends to implement the $842 million Energy Strong II program, which will help raise and harden equipment at flood zone-based stations, upgrade smart rid technologies to make outages more swiftly fixed and reduced in frequency and scope, hardening of circuits through upgraded poles and cables, as well as the creation of an advanced distribution management system to heighten outage response and system communications.
Work is not reserved for the electric system, however. PSE&G continues to pursue its Gas System Modernization Program, currently in its second phase. This phase will include upgrades to as much as 875 miles of aging pipes, converting them all to durable plastic by the end of 2023.
