Case Studies
Con Edison’s Resilience Journey: Adaptation Planning for a Changing Climate
Con Edison is adapting to extreme weather events with proactive planning—an approach that may offer a model for other utilities.
Major storms, heat waves, and other dangerous weather events have become more frequent and intense, prompting utilities to factor climate change impacts into their infrastructure planning and operations. The New York State Public Service Commission directed all electric utilities to conduct a climate vulnerability study and develop associated climate resilience plans.1 Con Edison is adapting to extreme weather events with action and proactive planning—an approach that can act as a model for other utilities. This case study highlights how Con Edison used its climate change vulnerability study to understand risks and improve system resilience.
Superstorm Sandy in 2012 was the most severe storm in Con Edison’s history and the largest tropical cyclone ever observed in the Atlantic Ocean. Since Superstorm Sandy, Con Edison has spent more than $1 billion to harden its infrastructure which has resulted in avoiding nearly 1.2 million customer interruptions as of December 2023.2 Con Edison also recognized the need to enhance its planning approach by better understanding climate risks. In 2019, Con Edison completed a comprehensive multi-year climate change vulnerability study to understand local climate change projections, identify potential system vulnerabilities, and explore infrastructure adaptation options.3 The company engaged an external stakeholder working group for feedback and collaboration. In 2020, Con Edison developed an implementation plan that incorporated climate change into planning, engineering, operations, and emergency response practices.4 The plan also established a climate change governance structure within the company to include climate change projections in existing practices, procedures, and processes.
Highlights
- Utilities learn from past events and major storms but cannot use historic trends to predict future challenges. Extreme weather events are becoming more frequent and severe, prompting utilities to use forward-looking projections for resilience planning in their service territories.
- Con Edison has developed a rigorous process for evaluating potential climate change risks and is taking a proactive planning approach based on the best available climate science.
- Predictions show that weather-related impacts on grid operations will intensify. To counteract these effects, Con Edison is investing in resilience and recovery efforts for severe weather events.
- Successful climate adaptation requires continued collaboration, feedback, and stakeholder engagement.
Responding to Climate Impacts and Projections
Communities in the New York City metropolitan area have already seen the impacts of climate change on their energy system. Climate projections indicate that these impacts will only become more severe. In Con Edison’s service territory, maximum daily temperatures have historically exceeded 95°F on just four days per year, on average.5 Con Edison’s 2023 projections show that days exceeding 95°F are expected to arrive sooner with 17 days per year in 2030 and 32 days per year in 2050 compared to the 2019 study which showed 11 days per year in 2030 and 23 days per year in 2050.5 Con Edison’s 2019 study showed that annual peak demand in the summer is expected to increase by approximately 6% by 2050.6
Con Edison now includes climate projections in its future temperature values (a combination of temperature and humidity). By doing so, the company is better able to anticipate the need for new infrastructure or energy efficiency programs to meet peak demand. The company is also responding to climate change impacts in other ways. For example, Con Edison is preparing for sea level rise and has implemented enhanced flood protection for its facilities and delivery systems. This work has involved raising equipment to a level 5 feet above the 100-year floodplain with 3 feet accounting for sea level rise and 2 feet of freeboard.5
Con Edison has made process changes for safe, reliable, and resilient operations in the face of climate change, and its clean energy future work will consider physical adaptation risks. The company’s adaptable Long-Range Plans outline its commitment to making infrastructure more resilient while achieving the statewide goal of net zero emissions in its service area by 2050.7 In addition to the physical impacts, the company is taking into account the changing customer and stakeholder expectations, climate resilience and clean energy legislation, technological advancements, and considerations for equity and environmental justice.
From Vulnerability Study to Adaptation in Action
Over the next 20 years, Con Edison plans to invest more than $5.6 billion in climate resilience projects and programs.8 Examples include installing submersible equipment, moving overhead power lines underground, preparing for extreme heat, and fortifying infrastructure in neighborhoods where residents are most vulnerable.
Con Edison is working on strategies to address three specific areas:
- Prevention—Hardening the energy infrastructure and assets against projected climate conditions to prevent outages.
- Mitigation—Modifying system designs and flexibility to make any disruptions to customer service less severe.
- Response—Making operational improvements to reduce recovery time in response to extreme weather.
As an example of these investments, Con Edison is taking steps to protect unit substation switchgear from the anticipated rise in torrential rainfall. The company is upgrading switchgear by installing components on elevated platforms at substations in areas susceptible to flood damage.5 Current switchgear is not designed to be submersed, as it was installed over 50 years ago in locations that were not then prone to flooding. These upgrades will provide increased resilience, support system reliability, and reduce safety risk to the public and employees.
Moving Forward
Utilities understand the importance of providing safe, reliable service and the need to incorporate planning for climate change. In September 2023, Con Edison built on its previous efforts with an updated Climate Change Vulnerability Study to use the latest climate projections (aligned with the New York State Climate Impacts Assessment) and to enhance its understanding of the climate change risks that could affect infrastructure and customers.5 In November 2023, Con Edison released a new Climate Change Resilience Plan, which provides a comprehensive long-term roadmap of adaptation measures and the investments necessary to address projected climate hazards.8 Con Edison continues to recognize that coordination with local governments and engagement with interested stakeholders is necessary to develop these resilience plans and to respond to future events.9 Going forward, Con Edison continues to take proactive steps to increase the resilience of its energy infrastructure by incorporating climate change adaptation measures, tools, and approaches into engineering and planning.
References
1. New York State Public Service Commission. (2022). PSC directs utilities to conduct climate vulnerability studies. https://dps.ny.gov/system/files/documents/2022/10/psc-directs-utilities-to-conduct-climate-vulnerability-studies.pdf
2. Consolidated Edison Co. of New York, Inc. (2022, October 14). Con Edison’s investments and climate research prevent outages, protect customers. Retrieved January 17, 2024, from https://www.coned.com/en/about-us/media-center/news/2022/10-14/con-edisons-investments-and-climate-research-prevent-outages-protect-customers
3. Consolidated Edison Co. of New York, Inc. (2019). Climate change vulnerability study. https://investor.conedison.com/static-files/b8e79812-f86c-465a-9926-95ea95bdb044
4. Consolidated Edison Co. of New York, Inc. (2020). Climate change resilience and adaptation: Overview of the summary of 2020 activities. https://www.coned.com/-/media/files/coned/documents/our-energy-future/our-energy-vision/storm-hardening-enhancement-plan/climate-change-resilience-adaptation-2020-summary-pullout.pdf
5. Consolidated Edison Co. of New York, Inc. (2023). Con Edison climate change vulnerability study. https://www.coned.com/-/media/files/coned/documents/our-energy-future/our-energy-vision/storm-hardening-enhancement-plan/climate-change-vulnerability-study.pdf
6. Miller, R., & Yip, N. (2021, October 29). Planning for extreme weather in a changing climate. American Bar Association. Retrieved January 17, 2024, from https://www.americanbar.org/groups/environment_energy_resources/publications/trends/2021-2022/november-december-2021/planning-for-extreme-weather/
7. Consolidated Edison Co. of New York, Inc. (n.d.). Long-range plan for the clean energy transition. Retrieved January 17, 2024, from https://www.coned.com/en/our-energy-future/our-energy-vision/long-range-plans
8. Consolidated Edison Co. of New York, Inc. (2023). Con Edison Climate Change Resilience Plan. https://www.coned.com/-/media/files/coned/documents/our-energy-future/our-energy-vision/storm-hardening-enhancement-plan/climate-change-resilience-plan-2023.pdf
9. Consolidated Edison Co. of New York, Inc. (n.d.). Our climate change resiliency plan. Retrieved January 17, 2024, from https://www.coned.com/en/our-energy-future/our-energy-vision/climate-change-resilience-plan