NYSEG Making Electric System Upgrades in Town of Carmel

Resiliency investments to bring enhanced reliability to more than 4,100 customers

BINGHAMTON, NY — March 9, 2021 — New York State Electric & Gas (NYSEG) announced today that it recently began construction on two circuit upgrade projects in the town of Carmel on the company’s Crafts 422 and Crafts 423 circuits, which deliver power to customers’ homes and businesses. The Crafts 423 circuit is located on the northern area of town and work is currently being performed along Horsepound Road. The Crafts 422 is located in the southern portion of Carmel and construction has begun along Stebbins Road. Together, the projects will upgrade approximately three miles of power lines and bring enhanced reliability to approximately 4,107 customers. The projects are part of the company’s Resiliency Program which proactively hardens the company’s system to continue providing safe and reliable service to all customers.

“NYSEG is committed to making investments that enhance the reliability of service for the communities we serve,” said Andy Gumkowski, Manager of Resiliency Field Projects at NYSEG. “These upgrades, once completed, will strengthen the system against severe weather events and reduce the duration of outages should an incident occur.”

Along each circuit the company is installing new SCADA switches. SCADA switches provide NYSEG with the ability to temporarily switch which circuit is powering a customer’s home or business. As a result of this project, the Crafts 422 and 423 circuits will tie into three other adjacent circuits, providing additional sources of power supply to customers. The Crafts 423 circuit also serves the Carmel town hall and police department and Mahopac Volunteer Fire Department fire house. This circuit enhancement will also improve resiliency and reliability to these facilities.

Prior to starting construction, NYSEG also completed enhanced tree trimming along the power lines to address any overgrowth of trees, branches and foliage which can break during storms and damage power infrastructure. Broken trees and branches are the leading cause of power interruptions for NYSEG customers and this effort included trimming from ground to sky and removing overhanging limbs to create a higher overhead clearance. Conducting the enhanced tree trimming ensures the circuit is better prepared for harsh storm conditions and works hand in hand with the resiliency upgrades.
 
Additionally, the poles used for these projects are wider in diameter than the poles previously used, making them more resilient to the impacts of wind. The placement of these poles will require rock drilling in some areas due to their location, adding complexity to the construction.

NYSEG advises customers that temporary and minor traffic delay may occur during the project period. The company also asks that motorist use extra caution when near crews and work zones.

“Our NYSEG crews will be seen working throughout the next few months on Stebbins Road and Horsepound Road in Carmel,” said Gumkowski. “These are high-traffic areas, so we thank our customers in advance for their attentiveness as they pass through work zones. This will allow crews to complete the upgrades safely and efficiently.”

The construction on these projects has already begun and is expected to be completed in April 2021.

NYSEG is a subsidiary of AVANGRID, Inc.