'Energy Strong' Reduces Sewaren Switching Station Flood Risk

PSE&G announced in February a plan to reduce future power outages by protecting utility installations, such as the Sewaren Switching Station, strengthening distribution lines and updating the electric grid in order to make it quicker and easier to restore customers.

The Energy Strong plan is a $3.9 billion investment by the company over the next 10 years. So far, the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities is still reviewing the first part of the plan, which is $2.6 billion for the first five years of the plan.

During Sandy, the water level at the Sewaren Switching station was waist deep, Manager of Asset Strategy Dick Wernsing said. Much of the equipment was out of service and a lot of time was spent on cleanup of utilities before it was possible to restore customers, he added.

Energy Strong proposes $1.7 billion to raise, relocate or protect all switching and substations affected by the most recent storms, as well as those in newly designated flood zones.

An entirely new transformer station is being installed at the Sewaren station, which is risen 1 foot above what the BPU suggested for all stations, according to Director of Transmission and Distribution Engineering Ed Gray.

Many customers ask why stations, such as Sewaren, were built in a flood zone, Gray said, but at the time of creation these were not flood zones. For example, the Sewaren Switching station was built in 1947 and it never saw a problem with flooding until Sandy.

Each station distributes to local stations and if there is an issue with the Sewaren station those smaller substations are affected, such as Carteret, Perth Amboy, Rahway Sub, Sewaren, two Woodbridge substations, Fanwood and Edison.    

These substations impact customers in Woodbridge, Fords, Carteret, Linden City, Perth Amboy, Rahway, Edison, Elizabeth, Metuchen, Clark, Fanwood, Green Brook, Mountainside, North Plainfield, Plainfield City, South Plainfield and Westfield.  
   
PSE&G will consider elevating switching and sub stations, replacing them, moving them elsewhere or erecting a wall around the property.

Putting the utilities underground is not really an option, Gray said. It would be expensive, take 20 to 25 years and would not guarantee there would be no outages during a bad storm, he said. For example, the utilities in Newark are underground and they were still facing outages during Sandy, he said.

Another part of the plan is to improve technology, which includes the grids used to collect information on outages down to improved text message alerts on restoration times for customers, Wernsing said.

“They help us where to go when wires on the ground,” he said. “We’re looking for technology to help us get there quicker.”

Wernsing said during Sandy 3,000 linemen came from around the country and at that point it becomes a priority to know where to put them first. The new grids will help with outage management and bringing that date into the substation.

Smart phones will also be used to the company's advantage. If a lineman sees downed wires, or a blown transformer, he or she can take a photo and GPS capabilities will pick up that location and bring the data into the smart grid to create a grouping of damaged locations, Wernsing said.

This will also help with closed roads and better, quicker navigation for utility workers, he added.

After Sandy, the company learned that while they were up for the challenge, they can do better, Wersing said.

“Putting in all these tools will help us be smarter,” he said.

Since only the first five years have been approved, station work has been prioritized for that time.  Even with the ‘Energy Strong’ plan, customers will not see an increase on their bill since other items are coming off. 

“Is it higher than it would have been, yes, but higher than it is now, no,” Wernsing said. However, the bill is lower than customers were paying in 2008.

According to Gray, this is the best time to start initiating such a plan.

“What we’re doing will make us more reliable,” he said. Throughout the year PSE&G is working to be more reliable, he explained, but after Sandy it was evident how difficult it was to live through these outages and the company is hoping to improve that.  

Public hearings on ‘Energy Strong’ will be held with the BPU in order to receive feedback from the public, but no dates have yet been set.

Visit the PSE&G website for more on the company’s ‘Energy Strong’ plan.