June 10, 2008—The Con Edison Company of New York has made a commitment through the US Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) voluntary National Partnership for Environmental Priorities Program (NPEP) to replace underground cables containing lead with less hazardous alternatives. NPEP promotes the reduction and elimination of priority chemicals in the operations of companies and organizations nationwide.
The commitment made by Con Edison is one of the largest in the national NPEP program to date, which currently numbers close to 180 partnership facilities, notes the EPA. The NPEP program partners with private and public entities to eliminate or reduce their use of chemicals that, when released into the environment, can linger for decades, affecting the environment and human health. The program currently focuses on 31 priority chemicals, including lead and PCBs.
Con Edison’s plan is to remove 2,400 sections of underground paper-insulated, lead-clad electric feeder cables in 2008, and another 2,400 sections in 2009. Each section of lead-clad cable is estimated to contain approximately 1,000 pounds of encased lead sheathing, which will be recycled at a nearby local recycling facility.
As a long-term goal, Con Edison plans to replace all of these cables by 2020. Con Edison estimates that by the conclusion of this project, as much as 15,000 tons of reclaimed lead sheathing will have been recycled. Currently, paper-insulated, lead-clad cables make up 20 percent of Con Edison’s underground electric network.
When these cables are removed, they will be replaced by solid dielectric cables, which are made of copper conductors surrounded by synthetic rubber. This alternative is considered superior to lead-clad cables in both environmental and electric distribution characteristics.
Beyond its commitment to lead reduction, over the past decade, Con Edison has also removed most of its equipment that contained high levels of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). To date, all recovered equipment is reported to have been decontaminated and recycled.
