PSEG Long Island to begin project in January to upgrade substations in East Shoreham, Riverside

PSEG Long Island will undertake a project to upgrade the transmission infrastructure that connects substations on the East End “in order to accommodate the growing demand in the area,” the energy company announced Monday.

The project, titled “Wildwood to Riverhead Conversion Project,” will be done over the next few months to upgrade equipment at the Wildwood Substation in East Shoreham and the Riverhead Substation in Riverside to increase the electricity capacity from 69kV to 138kV.

At the Wildwood Substation, three existing transmission poles will be removed and replaced with new riser poles of similar size and height. There will also be 900 feet of 138kV underground transmission line will be constructed from the substation to just east of LICLO Road. That underground cable will replace overhead wire where the three existing poles will be removed. The new riser poles will provide a transition from overhead to underground, PSEG LI said.

At the Riverhead Substation, one transmission pole will be removed and insulators replaced on one other pole to allow the wires to handle the increased electricity.

Work is expected to begin in January and be completed by June. The work is expected to be done Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. with some Saturday during daylight hours. Crews will use overhead bucket trucks to complete the overhead portion of the work, excavation equipment for the trenching of the underground portion.

“The upgrades will ensure customers will receive safe, reliable electric power for years to come,” PSEG LI said. “There will not be any outages or traffic disruptions related to this project.”

Any community members with questions on the project can call or text 631-315-3130, visit www.wildwood2riverhead.com or email [email protected].