NJBPU OKs $47.8M for Rockland Electric Reliability Improvements

Rockland Electric Company is initiating a plan approved by New Jersey state regulators to significantly improve electric service reliability for Rockland Electric’s 73,000 customers through a five-year, approximately $47.8-million electric system storm hardening resiliency capital program.

The program calls for further undergrounding targeted sections of the overhead electric system and upgrading other key parts of the overhead electric system to help mitigate system outages due to extreme weather-related events. The program, which began on January 1, is scheduled to continue through December 31, 2027.

Rockland Electric developed this new program as part of the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (NJBPU) Infrastructure Investment Program (IIP).

Rockland Electric Company will spend a substantial part of the $47.8 million --- about $40 million --- on selectively undergrounding portions of the company’s electric system to protect it from severe weather damage and related tree impacts.

Here are the locations for this work:

Allendale --- Martis Avenue

West Milford --- Warwick Turnpike

Darlington --- Darlington Avenue

Closter --- Livingston Street

Franklin Lakes --- Franklin Lakes Road

West Milford --- Greenwood Lake Turnpike and Awosting

Ringwood--- Sloatsburg Road to Kendall

Cresskill --- Anderson Avenue

Closter --- Herbert Avenue and Homans Avenue

Oakland --- Yawpo Drive

South Mahwah --- West Airmont Road

Ringwood --- Cupsaw Avenue to Voorhis Place

Upper Saddle River --- Pleasant Avenue

The remaining $7.8 million is earmarked for replacing open overhead primary wire with Hendrix spacer cable construction. That installation is designed to be reliable; resistant to tree contact; compact to reduce tree trimming clearances; and supported by high-strength messenger cable to withstand high wind speed.

As appropriate, these projects also will include replacement of aging poles and additional switching devices to assist in isolating system damage.

Here are the locations for this work:

Oakland --- High Mountain Road

Oakland --- Long Hill Road

Franklin Lakes --- Ewing Avenue

West Milford --- Awosting Road (Part 1)

Harings Corner --- Old Tappan Road

West Milford --- Awosting Road (Part 2)

Saddle River --- East Allendale Avenue

Rockland Electric Company will recover the costs of its IIP investments through an IIP Rate Mechanism. The company may file up to five rate adjustment requests for its IIP during the period of 2023 through 2027.

Rockland Electric Company currently operates and maintains 14 distribution substations, 854 miles of overhead distribution lines, 625 conductor miles of underground distribution and 83 distribution circuits.

About Rockland Electric Company

The company is an electric utility serving parts of northern Bergen (59,421 customers) and Passaic (13,262 customers) counties and small sections of Sussex County (343 customers) in New Jersey. Rockland Electric is a wholly owned subsidiary of Orange and Rockland Utilities, Inc., which in turn is owned by Consolidated Edison, Inc.

Bergen County communities served by Rockland Electric Company are: Allendale, Alpine, Closter, Cresskill, Demarest, Franklin Lakes, Harrington Park, Haworth (part), Mahwah, Montvale, Northvale, Norwood, Oakland, Old Tappan (part), Ramsey, River Vale (part), Rockleigh, Saddle River (part), Upper Saddle River and Wyckoff (part).

Passaic County communities served by Rockland Electric Company are: Ringwood (part) and West Milford (part).

Rockland Electric Company also serves portions of the Sussex County communities of Montague, Vernon and Wantage.