Green Program to Recycle More Than 75 Tons of Unused Scrap Plastic From Gas PipesNEW YORK, NY, Feb 02, 2009 (MARKET WIRE via COMTEX) -- As part of the company's ongoing infrastructure investment program,
Con Edison announced today that it had installed over 65 miles of new
natural gas main piping in 2008. In most cases, it replaced smaller
cast iron and uncoated steel pipe with larger diameter or higher
pressure main to increase capacity and prepare for future growth.
The company is establishing state-of-the-art technologies to increase
the system's reliability with stronger gas pipe materials and making
the installation of the new pipe as unobtrusive as possible. Con
Edison has also developed the use of protective polyethylene coatings
and plastics which make the gas pipes stronger and less likely to
damage than older cast iron main.
About half of the new pipe was replaced using a new cutting-edge
method known as "trenchless technology," which requires minimal
digging and reduces traffic disruption. Of the 65 miles of new gas
main, 28 miles were replaced in Westchester, 17 miles were replaced
in Queens, 14 miles were replaced in the Bronx, and 6 miles were
replaced in Manhattan.
The company also added 5 miles of new, larger-sized distribution and
transmission pipelines, as well as a new regulator station in Queens
to improve system pressure.
The company also has a recycling program for unused scrap plastic gas
main that produced 75 tons of recyclable materials last year alone.
The scrap plastic is collected and sold to a vendor who takes it to a
nearby recycling facility in Brooklyn where it is broken down, sorted
by grade, packed and tied into blocks. The blocks are then purchased
by companies who grind them into pellets and eventually sell them to
plastic product manufacturers.
"Our investments are crucial to providing safe and reliable gas
service to our customers. We are glad that we can help the
environment at the same time," said Mary Jane McCartney, senior vice
president of Gas Operations at Con Edison.
Con Edison expects to invest more than $1.5 billion over the next
five years on its gas delivery system to maintain reliability and
support economic growth in New York City and Westchester County. The
company distributes natural gas to more than 1 million customers in
Manhattan, the Bronx, part of Queens, and most of Westchester County.
Con Edison is a subsidiary of Consolidated Edison, Inc. (NYSE: ED),
one of the nation's largest investor-owned energy companies, with
approximately $14 billion in annual revenues and $33 billion in
assets. The utility provides electric, gas and steam service to more
than 3 million customers in New York City and Westchester County, New
York. For additional financial, operations and customer service
information, visit Con Edison's Web site at www.conEd.com.
Contact:
Media Relations
212-460-4111
SOURCE: Con Edison Co. of NY, Inc.
