Connecticut Light & Power (CL&P) is in the final stages of a $42.3 million program to upgrade and strengthen its infrastructure across the state as the 2012 summer season – the time of greatest electricity consumption – approaches. Every year, CL&P begins preparations for the summer during the previous fall to reduce the possibility of service interruptions for customers.
“We are always working to ensure that our system can meet the demands that are put on it,” said Ken Bowes, vice president – Customer Operations at CL&P. “These proactive improvements mean greater reliability for our customers.”
CL&P has taken a number of steps to prepare for the peak demand summer months and better serve its 1.2 million customers in 149 cities and towns across Connecticut, including:
• Installing and replacing transformers at substations that serve the towns of Greenwich and Newtown
• Commissioning the new Sherwood Substation, which is supplying power to the town of Westport
• Undertaking projects in more than 20 communities to increase circuit capacity – the ability to provide electricity to customers without compromising the delivery equipment when temperatures and electrical demand are at their highest
• Performing inspections and follow-up maintenance on all distribution substations in areas where heavy customer demand is expected or where failure of a single piece of equipment would result in long interruptions to large numbers of customers
• Completing maintenance and upgrades on numerous underground electric delivery systems, including those serving Bristol, New Britain, Stamford, Greenwich, Norwalk, Waterbury, and Manchester
• Verifying the integrity and efficiency of cooling equipment at all major substations to ensure the equipment will be appropriately cooled to avoid equipment failures from overheating while helping to deliver the needed power
• Conducting helicopter infrared surveys of our transmission lines (except for no-fly zones) and land-based infrared surveys of over 200 CL&P substations. These surveys test and verify the integrity of the connections on major electrical delivery systems and help CL&P identify potential trouble spots
• Completing foot patrols of the transmission lines to inspect electrical equipment and structures
• Ensuring all emergency supplies are available for use, if needed
• Upgrading electric distribution equipment and repairing existing equipment to optimize our power delivery systems
• Reviewing and modifying operating procedures
• Continuing an aggressive educational and outreach effort across the state to promote our nationally recognized conservation programs