Thursday, October 1, 2026
In a letter addressed to its customers and mailed to their homes early last week, PSEG Long Island announced that it is making upgrades to keep pace with the growing demand for electricity — and that it needs to “harden” the system to better withstand extreme weather conditions like Hurricane Sandy.
But before the work could begin, crews were out on Sept. 9, removing a dielectric fluid-filled transmission cable from service because of a leak.
According to PSEG media relations specialist Elizabeth Flagler, de-energizing the cable did not result in any customer outages. “This transmission cable, running beneath the Mill River Bridge along Atlantic Avenue in East Rockaway, was originally scheduled to be serviced at the end of September,” she said, “[but] due to the recent incident, PSEG Long Island is moving up the timeline of the project.”
The cable provides electrical service to thousands of customers throughout western Nassau County and Far Rockaway, Queens.
“We’re working in cooperation with the U.S. Coast Guard and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation to remediate the leak and complete the reinforcement of the transmission cable,” Flagler said. “We’re communicating with local officials on this project, keeping them informed and working to minimize potential disruptions.”
During the next few months, PSEG crews will be working around the Mill River Bridge. Traffic will be affected along a portion of Atlantic Avenue nearby.
“After servicing the initial leak, we will be reinforcing and protecting a section of transmission cable running beneath the Mill River Bridge,” the letter read. “The investment will reinforce and protect critical underground transmission cable that provides electric service for thousands of customers throughout Nassau and Far Rockaway.”
