New York State Electric & Gas and Rochester Gas and Electric say they are stepping up efforts to prevent storm-related power outages by installing more tree wire across their service areas.
Tree wire is specially insulated to reduce the risk of electrical faults when branches or other objects come into contact with power lines. Utility officials say falling trees and limbs cause more than half of the outages in their territories.
“By using tree wire, we anticipate fewer outages for customers, particularly during extreme weather events including high winds and storms,” said Patricia Nilsen, CEO of NYSEG and RG&E.
The companies have invested more than $100 million in tree wire since 2019, installing about 207 miles of the material. Each mile costs roughly $700,000 to install. NYSEG and RG&E manage more than 56,000 miles of electric distribution lines and say tree wire will be used wherever lines are at risk of encroaching vegetation. It is now used in about 90 percent of special projects.
In addition to tree wire upgrades, the utilities spent more than $90 million last year on vegetation management, including trimming and removing trees near power lines as part of a six-year cycle covering 62,000 miles of lines
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