PV20 Submarine Cable Replacement project delayed by equipment failure

An effort by the Vermont Electric Power Company (VELCO) to update grid reliability through replacement of underwater cables will now be delayed by three weeks due to equipment failure.

As a result, the company has announced shifts to full 24 work days, on a 7-day-per-week schedule, to make up for lost time on its PV20 Submarine Cable Replacement Project and comply with permit requirements. That new schedule is expected to continue for approximately one month.

Ideally, the project is meant to update the connecting grid between New York and Vermont for the first time since 1970. While those existing cables are already damaged, with one of the PV20 line’s cables no longer even usable, further cable failure could result in disruption of a transmission line vital to the area.

Cables are to be replaced from the underwater Vermont-New York border to a new termination station in Grand Isle, Vermont. Drilling and truck traffic are important parts of the endeavor, but now, the construction will include use of light towers to guarantee operations can continue at night.

In total, the grid update will see removal of seven submarine cables, as well as the existing Grand Isle termination station and its associated equipment and structures, once the new equipment is operational. Currently, the replacement portion of the project remains slated for completion in December 2017. Removal of old elements is scheduled for summer 2018.