PSEG-LI names Peggy Keane as interim president, replacing Daniel Eichhorn

PSEG Long Island on Wednesday confirmed the appointment of Peggy Keane, a top-level manager at the company, to replace Daniel Eichhorn as president and chief operating officer on an interim basis. 

Keane, who has served as PSEG Long Island's managing director and vice president of construction and operations, first joined the Long Island division of the New Jersey company 2019. She previously worked for PSE & G, the company's sister utility in New Jersey, where she was hired in 1999. 

The appointment is effective April 1, PSEG said. 

Keane "will serve as interim president and COO of PSEG Long Island beginning April 1, 2022, until a permanent successor is hired," PSEG spokeswoman Ashley Chauvin said in a message.

Keane appeared for PSEG during a sometimes-contentious trustee meeting Wednesday, when board members challenged the LIPA grid manager about PSEG's lobbying efforts. Keane denied that PSEG had lobbied for pending state legislation for a new LIPA study commission to also look into the prospect of selling off the utility to a private entity. Instead, she said, "We’ve stated that we’ve requested the legislation consider all options," including privatization and keeping the current public-private model under which PSEG manages the grid. 

Chauvin said PSEG "has been unwavering in its belief that maintaining a public-private partnership is the best option for Long Island."

LIPA officials have said the prospect of government review of privatization could lock LIPA out of the bond market as billions in bond issues are readied for market. It has happened in two past privatization studies, LIPA said. 

Eichhorn had been at the helm of PSEG Long Island through its headier days of improving customer satisfaction and its more recent missteps, including during Tropical Storm Isaias, which left more than 535,000 Long Island without power for up to a week.

Eichhorn, whose retirement is effective in April, had held the top Long Island post since 2017, He has spent 32 years at PSEG. His predecessor as president of the Long Island division, David Daly, who also served as chairman of PSEG Long Island, retired last year. 

Keane as construction and operations vice president has been a primary liaison to LIPA while overseeing planning and operations of PSEG Long Island’s projects and construction, materials and logistics, fleet/transportation, safety and environmental management.

She previously served as the Long Island division's director responsible for managing the $729 million Public Assistance Grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. She holds a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Rutgers University and an MBA from Excelsior College.

By Mark Harrington

mark.harrington@newsday.comMHarringtonNews

Mark Harrington, a Newsday reporter since 1999, covers energy, wineries, Indian affairs and fisheries.