PSEG to Discuss Montauk Substation Plans

PSEG Long Island, which manages the electrical grid on behalf of the Long Island Power Authority, has scheduled a workshop at which it will present information on the planned relocation of the LIPA substation on Industrial Road in Montauk.

Engineers, environmental specialists, project managers, and other officials will discuss siting options and issues and listen to public comment on April 2 from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the Montauk Playhouse Community Center. 

Although it has been maintained and updated over the years, the existing substation, on a flood-prone site that juts into Fort Pond, is around 100 years old and must be replaced, PSEG Long Island officials have said. While demand is decreasing on the rest of Long Island, on the South Fork it is forecast to grow at an annual rate of 2.4 percent from 2019 to 2030, David Gaier, PSEG Long Island's director of communications, said in a Feb. 20 email to The Star. Moreover, he said, high-demand days, which typically occur in the summer, require use of emergency generation. 

Montauk residents came out in force to protest the utility's apparent plan to purchase 6.7 acres on high ground adjacent to Flamingo Avenue at which to construct a new substation, though PSEG Long Island officials insisted that no decision had been made. Residents say the land, owned by the family of the actor Ralph Macchio, is too close to both residences and the Playhouse, and could post myriad threats including to water quality and public safety. 

But that site is just one of five under consideration, Mr. Gaier said. A site on Navy Road, one at the hamlet's former landfill, another north of the landfill, and the existing substation, where the installation would be rebuilt, are also being considered, he said.