The New York Power Authority (NYPA) Board of Trustees has awarded $15 million in construction contracts to six companies that will supplement the Authority’s own emergency power restoration response and management capabilities. The agreements cover services related to the Authority’s high-voltage transmission system and would provide mutual assistance resources for transmission and distribution work to other utilities and municipalities when needed. This backup capability helps strengthen the resilience and reliability of the state’s power grid, a major goal of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo.
NYPA is often asked to help other utilities or communities in emergencies, and “it’s important to have a stable of support firms available for immediate deployment when emergencies and outages occur,” says NYPA president and CEO Gil C. Quiniones. NYPA responded to three major storms this year.
The contractors provide NYPA an additional resource in responding to its own transmission emergencies. The workers would also be available to help other utilities and municipalities with repair and recovery work following storms or in other emergencies impacting the electric grid.
The five-year contracts were awarded through a competitive bid process to companies that have capabilities, capacity and experience with the construction, maintenance and restoration of high-voltage transmission lines. Companies receiving the contracts are: D&D Power Inc., E-J Electric T&D LLC, Haugland Energy Group LLC, J.W. Didado Electric LLC, M10 Inc. (Michels Corporation), and Northline Utilities LLC.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has developed a comprehensive agenda to combat climate change by reducing greenhouse gas emissions and growing the clean energy economy, as outlined in his Reforming the Energy Vision Plan (REV). The plan outlines a comprehensive energy strategy for New York, including developing new energy products and services, and protecting the environment while creating new jobs and economic opportunity throughout the state.
According to the REV, 60% of New York’s power generation infrastructure is over 35 years old. As the state develops distributed energy resources statewide, it is critical for the safety and resiliency of our current energy system that it maintains, and in some instances enhances, the central grid. “It is only by doing so that we can continue to meet the energy needs of New Yorkers and integrate clean and distributed power at scale into our energy system,” the report states.