File Photo
“My constituents should not have to worry that their power will go out every time there is a storm,” Sen. Addabbo said. “Our electrical grid should be able to handle these storms and provide power to customers when they need it the most.”
By Forum Staff
Last month, State Sen. Joe Addabbo, Jr. (D-Howard Beach) held a virtual meeting with Con Edison representatives to address recent power outages in areas throughout his district, especially in communities like Howard Beach, Ozone Park, and Middle Village.
According to Con Ed’s numbers, Howard Beach suffered outages on April 21 and April 30 that left 600 customers without power each time, and again on May 1, during which 200 customers lost power. Ozone Park had an outage on May 9 that affected 1,400 customers, while Middle Village has seen 19 outages since 2012 that interrupted service for nearly 9,000 customers.
Issues including transformer fires, blown fuses, defective underground cables, and downed trees have caused these outages, utility officials explained.
Although there have been issues, Con Ed informed Addabbo of the work they have done in the past, as well as their current and future plans to ensure that customers do not lose power.
Photo Courtesy of Con Ed
Issues such as transformer fires, blown fuses, defective underground cables, and downed trees have caused the power outages, utility officials told the senator.
In the Howard Beach and Ozone Park areas, Con Ed has already invested $2 million in upgrades to feeder conductors, transformers, and underground cables, while also installing storm-hardened fuses and switches. In preparation for summer 2021, Con Ed told Addabbo that they have invested an additional $150,000 for feeder conductor and transformer upgrades, and have created Summer Preparation Training and Heat Drills for employees.
When it comes to the Middle Village area, Con Ed informed Addabbo that an area from 75th Place to 77th Street between Furmanville Avenue and 66th Road will be part of an Undergrounding Pilot Program.
This program aims to remove three overhead transformers, 11 spans of overhead primary wires, and 28 spans of overhead secondary wires. This initiative would bring the power for 152 customers underground, alleviating issues with the high tree density on Juniper Valley Road that has caused outages in the past.
“I understand that bad storms have the ability to cause power outages, and with climate change severe storms are becoming more powerful, but the frequency and duration of these outages are unacceptable,” Addabbo said. “My constituents should not have to worry that their power will go out every time there is a storm. Our electrical grid should be able to handle these storms and provide power to customers when they need it the most.”
