Smart technology is cutting power restoration times and boosting reliability across New York as NYSEG and RG&E spotlight recent successes in using automation to speed up service.
The utilities pointed to three March incidents where system automation and Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) technology helped minimize the impact of unexpected equipment failures and storms.
In Penfield, a tree outside RG&E’s right-of-way fell onto a transmission line near Shoecraft Road, knocking out power to about 5,000 customers. But smart automation allowed the system to flip to an alternate feed, restoring power to over 1,000 customers in under a minute. Within 30 minutes, the rest were back online—before repair crews even arrived on site.
“Without smart technology, restoration would have taken much longer,” said Christopher Lafey, senior manager of the utilities’ Energy Control Center.
SCADA systems gather real-time data across NYSEG and RG&E’s grids and send it to the Energy Control Center, where operators remotely control grid elements like transformers, breakers, and generators. This fast, centralized response can identify problems and restore service before crews are dispatched.
In Ithaca, NYSEG operators used smart devices to pinpoint a storm-related equipment failure affecting more than 5,000 customers. Within 17 minutes, 1,800 had power again. The rest followed within an hour after physical repairs.
Another case in Rochester showed how automatic relays restored power in less than a minute to 2,600 customers affected by an underground cable failure—no waiting for crews to find or fix the buried damage.
Beyond emergency response, SCADA is also used to analyze grid performance, plan maintenance, and detect equipment issues early—preventing larger failures and improving safety for workers and the public.
The companies say they invest hundreds of thousands of dollars annually to expand remote switching and automation. Last year alone, NYSEG added 544 new devices, while RG&E added 29, advancing their ability to reduce outages and increase service reliability.
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