Work being done to upgrade electrical poles across NYS

ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) — 45,000 Electrical poles across New York State are expected to be upgraded as part of a $2.1 billion investment from the Reliable Energy NY Plan. According to NYSEG and RG&E, the companies will be making these upgrades through 2026.

Just last year in 2023, the companies said work was done to modernize around 25,000 poles. And in 2019, NYSEG and RG&E upgraded to using larger wood poles to help minimize damages during storms.

“As the state continues to face harsh and more frequent storms, it’s critical to invest in stronger and more durable poles to reduce the frequency and duration of outages for customers,” said Mike Craven, vice president of Electric Operations for NYSEG and RG&E.

NYSEG is investing more than $750 million, while RG&E is investing more than $270 million into this project to replace the poles.

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