Seneca cable project earns award

SENECA LAKE--It's not often you think of underwater projects when you hear the words "electric transmission line replacement." However, that's exactly what the New York State Electric and Gas Corporation (NYSEG) Seneca Lake Submarine Cable Replacement Project entailed--replacing four aging underwater cables in the waters of Seneca Lake. This unique project, which was completed in 2020, required comprehensive engineering and planning in partnership with many firms, including engineering contractor CHA Consulting. The engineering firm was recently recognized with an engineering award by The American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) of New York for the project.
The New York State Engineering Award honors the year's top projects for their innovation, complexity and overall value to society. The Seneca Lake Submarine Cable Replacement Project earned the top honor of a platinum award in the energy category.
"This was a unique project that presented many challenges to our team, but our thoughtful and thorough preparation ensured we were prepared to handle them," said Project Manager Hallie Friedman. "Thank you to the entire project team for their work in ensuring this project was a success."
To replace the four aging cables, the Seneca Lake Submarine Cable Replacement Project team had to first install and bury the two new 16,000 feet long electric transmission cables using a cable installation barge. These lines were placed just south of the existing cables and were trenched separately from shore extending outward where the cables were directly laid on the lake bottom as much as 600 feet below. A cable engine pulled the new cable from a spool and fed it through the installation downshoot into the water.
Next, the project team extracted the old lines from the lake floor. These original cables were installed in 1942 to connect the electrical systems on the east and west sides of Seneca Lake. NYSEG utilized a barge-mounted excavator to dig trenches and weighted silt curtains to contain the silt.
In addition to replacing the underwater electric transmission lines, the project also included building new risers on the lakeshore. The original risers were located at the Greenidge Generation property in Torrey and the eastern shore at Sampson State Park in Romulus, which was formerly a naval training station during World War II and after. The new risers are four poles arranged in a box structure approximately 35 feet tall.
The project also required collaboration with numerous important stakeholders, including the U.S. Navy due to one of their sonar testing barges being located on Seneca Lake. The barge has four anchors, one of which had a chain that rested on top of an original electric transmission line. Other key agencies were the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), Sampson State Park and elected officials for the town of Romulus and Torrey.
"This was a difficult and unique project that required out of the box thinking and close coordination with our customers, New York state and federal agencies and many other stakeholders," said Michal Bartczak, Senior Director, Line Projects. "I'm proud of the NYSEG and AVANGRID team that delivered this unique and complex project."