Post-Hurricane Sandy storm hardening program prevented 250,000 outages, Con Edison says
Con Edison’s nearly $1 billion Fortifying the Future storm hardening program, which began after Hurricane Sandy, has prevented 250,000 outages to date, according to the company.
The four-year program began in 2013 and included the installation of more than 1,000 “smart” switches on Con Edison’s overhead system, redesigned underground electrical networks, and submersible equipment that can withstand flooding.
October 2012’s Hurricane Sandy and the Nor’easter that followed it led to a company record 1.1 million customer outages in New York City and Westchester County.
The storm hardening concluded in 2016. The company spent $847 million on the upgrades, including $291 million in 2016.
The program also included flood walls around critical equipment, 270 watertight flood doors in electric substations and steam generating stations, large steam distribution system isolation valves, and the replacement of 10 miles of flood-prone gas lines as well as other upgrades aimed at preventing outages.
