June 24 cost Long Islanders a lot

Daily Point

The energy behind bringing more electric to LI

The unprecedented June heat wave when temperatures hit close to 100 degrees along much of the Eastern Seaboard nearly caused mandatory power cuts — think rolling brownouts — because of overwhelming demand and a constrained transmission system serving Long Island, project directors for Propel NY told the editorial board Monday.

Those early summer highs — the peak demand was June 24 — cost Long Islanders a bundle. Long Island paid $7,000 a megawatt-hour compared with a statewide max of $3,000 a MWh because the inability to get more power from off-Island caused the price of on-Island generation to skyrocket, the New York Independent System Operator said in an October report.

Propel NY, a collaboration of the New York Power Authority and the private New York Transco, is seeking to build two major downstate transmission lines connecting Long Island to Westchester and the Bronx. The ISO chose Propel NY in 2023 to build the new lines, which could bring more capacity to LI by the start of the next decade. If the current timeline for approvals holds, construction could start in September, the board was told.

Propel NY said the summer highs make their case for more reliable and less costly electricity. It’s expected to cost all state ratepayers $2 more a month if the project goes forward.

Quentin McMahon, senior program director of NYPA, said NY ISO’s warning “added a new urgency” for the transmission lines. McMahon said the project is “agnostic” over the source of the added power, such as nuclear from upstate New York or hydropower from Quebec. Initially, the state was expecting more power flowing into Long Island from offshore wind sites, but that is unlikely since the Equinor project died off Long Beach because of community opposition.

“Expect more unusual weather patterns that will put a lot of strain on the grid,” said Steve Cole-Hatchard, project director for Transco, emphasizing not only heat but extreme cold where the energy demands are even more burdensome because more power is needed to comfortably heat a home than to cool it.

Shannon Baxevanis, Transco's director of communications, said concurrent federal, state and local permitting processes are well underway, noting that the state’s Article VII process could be completed by May. If the state Public Service Commission approves the complex proposal, construction could start next fall.

Not that there haven’t been hurdles and social media misinformation along the way. Both Transco and NYPA officials have been building coalitions, making presentations at high school career days, and asking businesses how construction interruptions can be avoided. They told local officials that there are no community benefit packages available to smooth over construction disruptions. And after listening sessions, two routes have been adjusted in Syosset and Hempstead Village.

That Propel NY remains on track is a considerable achievement since Long Island is the place where big projects, especially those involving energy, come to die, starting with the rebuke of the Long Island Lighting Company’s nuclear plant in Shoreham and more recently battery storage facilities and Equinor’s Long Beach wind project.

— Rita Ciolli rita.ciolli@newsday.com

Pencil Point

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Quick Points

Just in time for the holidays, religious virtues on display

• After Notre Dame was snubbed by the College Football Playoff Selection Committee, its athletic director said the university refuses to play in a bowl game. Not exactly a display of the Catholic Church’s Seven Heavenly Virtues.
• Speaking of values, President Donald Trump hosted the Kennedy Center Honors Sunday and said of the audience, “Many of you are miserable, horrible people. ... Some I truly hate.” Doubtful the Dec. 23 airing of the meant-to-be-festive event will become a holiday classic like “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.”
• Need a holiday gift idea? How 'bout a stocking stuffer that looks like a stocking? The iPhone Pocket retails for $230 for large or $150 for small and looks like a 1980s aerobics workout accessory. Fashion, or kitsch, is in the eye of the beholder.
• Affordability on your mind? New York’s Department of State is once again offering its Local Government Efficiency Grants to streamline government. The state estimates that more than $680 million has been saved by consolidating services. Can Long Island school districts consolidate superintendents?
• As political pundits game-plan the 2026 New York governor’s election, Gov. Kathy Hochul told Fox 5’s “Good Day New York” last week when asked about traditional holiday meals, “… I’m all about pies. I've still been eating leftover pumpkin pie for days. I can't — I inhale pumpkin pies.” Rosanna Scotto simply said, “That could be a problem.” Long Islanders only want to know if they’ll get more of the pie if Hochul is reelected.

— Mark Nolan mark.nolan@newsday.com

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