Worry over LIPA service during PSEG move

With less than a year and a half before PSEG takes over operation of the Long Island electric grid from National Grid, critics are already lining up to express concern about potential impacts on LIPA's storm preparedness, customer service and computer systems.

Last month, State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli, in approving the new contract with PSEG, told LIPA it should look for ways to accelerate PSEG's plan to hit a top customer satisfaction rating from its current low level before a planned five-year timetable.

LIPA has already acknowledged it may need to lease National Grid's computer systems for a year or more after PSEG takes over running the grid in January 2014.

And Monday, at the home of Wantagh resident Esther Regent, who lost power for five days during Tropical Storm Irene last August, Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) expressed concern about how a major storm could affect LIPA customers in the transition to PSEG. LIPA and PSEG are still working on a plan to respond to major storms, part of the process of transition in coming months.

Schumer expressed particular concern that the 500 to 800 National Grid workers who operate the natural gas and power plant operations, and won't be transitioning to PSEG, won't be available to respond in the event of a major storm after the contract expires.

National Grid spokeswoman Wendy Ladd said in a statement Monday: "National Grid will continue to provide the benefits of its combined downstate employees and U.S. operations to LIPA's customers for storm response to the end of the contract" in December 2013. Ladd said there are 5,100 workers in National Grid's downstate emergency restoration organization.

One of the touted benefits of LIPA's existing contract with National Grid is that all its thousands of Long Island employees are put to work to respond to storms here, even though their normal duties are either in gas operations, back office or power plants. National Grid owns 15 plants on Long Island, all licensed to LIPA.

"A comprehensive emergency response plan needs to be in place that addresses how to make up for the loss of an immediately available on-island workforce that was previously tapped through National Grid," Schumer said, noting that National Grid has an available workforce "twice as large as what PSEG will have under contract on the Island."

But LIPA, noting it is negotiating with National Grid and working out a storm response plan, said Schumer's concerns are misguided. "To suggest we would leave Long Islanders vulnerable to a major storm because of staffing levels is wrong," spokesman Mark Gross said. "Given PSEG's success of storm planning and procedures and their commitment to improved service for our customers, we will have a storm plan that gives us a robust workforce utilizing all available Long Island resources."