Con Edison has recently completed a six-mile-long transmission line in Queens that will carry increasingly renewable electricity, enabling the retirement of a fossil fuel-fired power plant in Astoria that was owned by NRG Energy. This transmission line is the first of three Reliable Clean City projects that Con Edison began in 2021 to move New York State closer to meeting the environmental goals in the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA).
The work in Queens accounts for $275 million of the $800 million Con Edison is investing in the Reliable Clean City projects, with one in Brooklyn and one in Staten Island already underway. In total, the Queens, Brooklyn, and Staten Island lines will add 900 megawatts (MW) of transmission capacity across New York City.
“Generations of New Yorkers will enjoy a cleaner environment and continued reliable service, thanks to the work of Con Edison’s great unionized workforce on this project,” said Christopher Erikson, the business manager of IBEW Local 3. “Our members look forward with pride to the completion of Reliable Clean City projects in Brooklyn and Staten Island, which will mark additional steps toward a future with clean air and good public health, particularly for those in disadvantaged communities.”
