PSEG Long Island completes 10.6-mile transmission line upgrade

PSEG Long Island finished its upgrades to a 10.6-mile transmission line between East Shoreham and Riverside on Long Island, NY.

The Wildwood to Riverhead Conversion Project started in January 2020, with Phase 2 beginning in January 2021. The line was upgraded to handle 138kV, and improvements were also made to the substation equipment at the Wildwood and Riverhead substations. It was energized on June 1, serving customers in East Shoreham, Wading River, Calverton, and Riverhead.

“Electric demand continues to grow on the East End, and PSEG Long Island is committed to providing our customers with excellent reliability,” Peggy Keane, PSEG Long Island’s vice president of Construction and Operations Services, said. “This upgraded transmission line will help ensure we have the capacity to meet that demand.”

PSEG Long Island’s grid consists of three major elements: electric transmission lines that carry high-voltage power from generation sources; substations that receive the electricity from the transmission lines and step it down to a lower voltage; and distribution lines that carry the lower-voltage electricity into customers.

PSEG Long Island has made several infrastructure improvements to prepare for the summer electricity demand, including the installation of new transformers at Elmont, Uniondale, Culloden Point, Roslyn, Far Rockaway, and Flowerfield substations. Also, four new distribution feeder lines were installed in Elmont, Uniondale, Roslyn, and Flowerfield areas to accommodate load growth. In addition, six distribution circuits have been upgraded at Kings Point, North Hills, Massapequa, Mitchel Gardens, Lake Success, and Rockaway Beach while 37 transmission system circuit breakers were added or replaced for enhanced system reliability. Finally, a new transmission circuit was installed between the Riverhead and Canal substations.