1. Strengthen critical energy infrastructure.
Securing critical infrastructure should be a primary focus. Strategies of protection, include among other things, selective undergrounding of electric lines, elevation of susceptible infrastructure such as substations, secure locations of future power plants, hardening key fuel distribution terminals, and reexamination of critical component locations to identify those most prone to damage by shocks or stresses. Creating a long-term capital stock of critical equipment throughout the region provides an efficient system of distribution to streamline the delivery and recovery processes.2. Accelerate the modernization of the electrical system and improve flexibility.
As utilities replace aging parts of the power system, the State should ensure new technologies are deployed. It is important to immediately invest in new construction, replacement, and upgrades to transition the grid to a flexible system that can respond to future technologies, support clean energy integration, and minimize outages during major storms and events. The grid for the 21st century should seamlessly incorporate distributed generation, microgrids, and plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs).3. Design rate structures and create incentives to encourage distributed generation and smart grid investments.
The State should implement new technologies and system improvements to provide effective backup power, flexibility, distributed generation, and solutions for “islanding” vulnerable parts of the system. In addition to improving the resilience and stability of energy, electricity, and fuel supply systems, these solutions promote energy conservation, efficiency, and consumer demand response.4. Diversify fuel supply, reduce demand for energy, and create redundancies.
Lowering GHG emissions in the power sector through the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) will contribute to reducing the impacts of climate change over the very long term. To build on the success of RGGI, the State should encourage alternative fuel sources such as biogas, liquefied natural gas (LNG), and solar heating in transportation and other sectors. PEVs, energy storage systems, and on-site fuel storage where feasible, should also be used to provide new energy storage mechanisms. Incentive programs to promote energy efficiency and renewable energy deployment should be strengthened to increase the level of private sector investment in this space.5. Develop long-term career training and a skilled energy workforce.
The utility workforce is aging and tremendous expertise will be lost in the next several years. Workforce development strategies should ensure the availability of skilled professionals to maintain a state of good repair, effectively prepare for and respond to emergencies, and deploy and maintain advanced technologies.Superstorm Sandy
The destructive forces of Superstorm Sandy exposed vulnerabilities in New York’s energy infrastructure, including the electric, natural gas, steam, and fuel distribution systems. Sandy severely affected the electric system in New York, leaving 2.1 million residents and businesses without power statewide. In some regions of the state, power was not restored for two weeks or more.
Long Island’s electrical system experienced widespread devastation and outages of record number and duration — 90% of Long Island’s electric customers experienced outages.2 Superstorm Sandy led to the loss of power for over 1 million of Con Edison’s 3.3 million customers. The storm was five times more destructive than any storm Con Edison has endured in recent history (including Hurricane Irene in 2011).3 Many of the power plants, substations, and other electric system infrastructure in the downstate region of New York are clustered in or near coastal areas, making them vulnerable to the type of flooding encountered during this most recent disaster. The steam distribution system also experienced outages and damage from flooding, as the underground pipes and tunnels were not equipped to manage the large volume of water associated with major storm events.
In Manhattan, a power outage lasting five days below 39th Street caused some to proclaim an entirely new neighborhood: “SoPo,”
or “South of Power.” There was tremendous frustration as the power restorations did not come quickly. This lag created an added danger as the temperatures dropped. Many businesses were unable to resume operations for weeks. Backup diesel generators rolled in as reports indicated that power restoration would take weeks for some of the most affected buildings in downtown Manhattan. The loss of heat and electricity in this area caused many commercial and residential tenants to break leases in their buildings and relocate permanently.4
The impacts of Sandy also exposed the fact that the natural gas and fuel distribution systems require improvement in order to better survive natural disasters. Though the natural gas system is considered to be more resilient to disasters because it tends to continue to function during outages in the electric grid, the system is still vulnerable to uprooted trees damaging underground pipes and flooding compressor stations. Sandy significantly affected the fuel distribution network in New York, which includes fuel for transportation, power generation, and heating. The fuel distribution supply chain comprises an interconnected collection of pipelines, hubs, terminals, refineries, marine supply, and service stations. As a result of the storm, a breakdown in this supply chain created gasoline shortages across the region and resulted in widespread impacts both on those responding to the emergency and residents attempting to recover from it.
For the first time since the 1970s, gasoline rationing took place in New York City and Long Island. New Yorkers were left waiting for hours to fill up their cars and gas cans. New York was ill-prepared for such massive destruction to energy and infrastructure, and the State has much work to do to prepare for the next major event.
Figure E-01: New York Energy Network (State of New York, 2012)
Figure E-02: New York Energy Network (State of New York, 2012)
from out of state is delivered directly from the interstate pipeline to large industrial and electric power generation stations, or routed to local distribution companies serving residential, commercial, and midsize industrial customers. Fuels like gasoline, diesel, and heating oil are delivered via interstate pipelines, ship, rail, and truck to be stored in terminals, typically located along the coast. Refineries in New Jersey receive crude oil by ocean tanker, barge, and railcar. The manufactured petroleum fuel products then make their way into the region’s supply distribution.
New York City relies on steam that comes from a distributed system managed by Consolidated Edison Company of New York (Con Edison) in Manhattan. The steam is generated in central plants and distributed through portions of Manhattan in insulated underground pipes. Campuses and research facilities across the state also rely on local steam infrastructure.
While the state’s energy infrastructure was built to withstand 100-year weather events, Superstorm Sandy, Hurricane Irene (2011), and Tropical Storm Lee (2011) demonstrated that the system was improperly prepared for the increasing number and degree of extreme weather events.
In order to make today’s energy infrastructure more resilient, New York State must rebuild and plan for the demands of the coming century. There is an emerging scientific consensus that storms like Superstorm Sandy will become more frequent in the near future. A more resilient energy infrastructure is more critical than ever. The Commission envisions a profound transition for New York State over the next century to an energy system that is at once affordable, efficient, resilient to natural
State should make public investments and induce private-sector support for a stronger, smarter, and more efficient electric grid and more resilient natural gas, steam, and fuel distribution systems. These investments will reduce the negative impacts of extreme weather events like Superstorm Sandy, while laying the foundation for an energy system that in the long-term will mitigate, rather than exacerbate, the threat of climate change.
The Commission has identified a number of recommendations that build on the Governor’s Energy Highway Blueprint that will enable New York to develop a resilient energy ecosystem, strengthening critical energy infrastructure; creating alternatives, backups, and redundancies in vulnerable parts of the system; and setting the foundation upon which the energy infrastructure of the future will be built.a Within each of the areas, recommendations include short-term steps based on lessons learned from recent events; medium-term projects that require more extensive planning and development; and long-term solutions that require systemic planning, process refinement, capital budgeting, and large-scale project implementation.
a In October 2012, Governor Cuomo’s Energy Highway Task Force released the Energy Highway Blueprint with 13 specific recommendations to transform New York’s aging, congested energy infrastructure. The recommendations shape a new energy infrastructure that is equipped to support economic growth and to supply reliable, lower cost, and clean power for New York’s residents and businesses into the future, including expanding the transmission system to reduce congestion, accelerating investment in the electric and natural gas distribution infrastructure, and investing in new technologies and smart grid programs.
and man-made disasters, responsive to the needs of its stakeholders, and largely decarbonized. Our technologically advanced society is ever more dependent on a reliable and resilient energy system to ensure public safety and to power our economy.
The energy system in place today, which is heavily dependent on fossil fuels, contributes to worldwide emissions of carbon dioxide and methane, two major greenhouse gases (GHGs) in our atmosphere that are contributing to climate change. According to the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, substantial reductions in GHG emissions by midcentury have the potential to minimize the most severe climate change impacts currently predicted. The strategies we employ to reduce GHG emissions will also provide an opportunity to strengthen infrastructure against future storms.
New York State set a goal to reduce GHG emissions to 80% below the 1990 baseline by the year 2050.1 Since energy use (in the form of fossil power and gasoline/diesel vehicles) accounts for a majority of GHG emissions in the state, a drastic system transition must take place. As the state shifts away from fossil fuel usage, it should focus on the goals of improving reliability, availability, and resilience.
New York’s transition to a new energy system will not happen overnight. Major changes to the energy system can be expensive and disruptive to the economy.
Because of this, changes will require a firm commitment to continuous improvement through sustained planning, informed by changing conditions, available technology and data, and robust public engagement and education. Over the short-term, the
The physical location of critical energy infrastructure should be reexamined to identify installations that are most prone to stress damage. Repairs, upgrades, replacement, and new infrastructure should mitigate the risks associated with climate change. New York State is seeking federal funding assistance for a portfolio of hardening, or strengthening projects.
These investments are recommended to prevent future damage that would otherwise be incurred.
For example, New York has identified specific storm hardening projects for which it is seeking federal funding, including the following:
• strengthen substations against flood damage
• reconfigure network boundaries to separate flood areas from non-flood areas
• elevate critical distribution transformer installations
• replace critical distribution wood poles
with steel poles or upgrade and harden existing poles (e.g., by installing guy wires)
• install excess flow control valves on the natural gas system
• install remotely operated natural gas control valves
• protect natural gas regulators from floods
• strengthen electric and steam production facilities
• strengthen steam tunnels