The Connecticut Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA) yesterday approved a five-year, $300 million plan by Connecticut Light & Power (CL&P) to strengthen its infrastructure and to increase grid reliability.
The CL&P proposal is centered around tree trimming, electrical hardening through the use of coated thicker-gauge wire, and structural improvements such as the strengthening of utility poles, the Berlin-based company said Jan. 16.
Bill Quinlan, senior vice president of emergency preparedness for CL&P, which is a subsidiary of Northeast Utilities Co., said in a statement that the investment “will benefit our customers by improving the day-to-day reliability of our system and making it less vulnerable to outages caused by extreme weather.”
More than half of the $300 million will go toward tree trimming, including $32 million this year.
Now that PURA has approved the proposed upgrades, CL&P said work will begin this spring.
