Jersey Central Power and Light (JCP&L), a subsidiary of FirstEnergy Corp., is constructing two specially designed flood walls to help protect the Sussex and Canoe Brook substations in Sussex County, New Jersey, from rising flood waters that can accompany severe weather.
The flood walls are designed to help prevent power outages by protecting substation property and equipment from intruding water. A 4-ft high, L-shaped concrete wall with an automatic, waterproof gate has been constructed around each substation. Pressure from rising water causes the gate to raise up automatically, protecting the equipment within the substation with no need for electronic sensors and switches or operator action.
Work at the Sussex substation was completed earlier this year, and construction of the Canoe Brook substation flood wall is scheduled to be completed by the end of November 2020.
"Identifying and addressing the potential for flooding that can impact our substations and cause outages for customers has been an area of focus for the JCP&L," said Alex Patton, vice president, operations for the JCP&L. "Construction of these specially designed substation walls helps eliminate the flooding concern and advances our ongoing efforts to ensure more resilient and reliable electricity for our customers through the JCP&L Reliability Plus infrastructure improvement plan."
Located within a designated flood zone in Clove Brook, New Jersey, the Sussex and Canoe Brook substations were strategically chosen to receive the flood mitigation measures based on a history of flooding. Following Hurricane Sandy in 2012, the JCP&L installed a similar flood wall system with two automatic gates at its Monmouth Beach substation, which has since experienced no significant flooding.
