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For Immediate Release: 6/12/2025 Rory M. Christian, Chair Contact:
James Denn | James.Denn@dps.ny.gov | (518) 474-7080 25073 /25-E-0263; 25-E-0031; 25-G-0147 June 12, 2025
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PSC Receives Update on Utility Electric Reliability and Gas Safety Standards |
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ALBANY — The New York State Public Service Commission (Commission) today reviewed the state’s major utilities in terms of their performance in several key areas for 2024, including electric reliability service, electric safety, and gas safety. “The Commission’s rate design provides incentives based on utility performance,” said Commission Chair Rory M. Christian. “The Commission works aggressively with utilities to improve their performance. Maintaining reliability and safety is a requirement for utilities, and the Commission holds them accountable when they fail to meet our standards.”
Electric Reliability: Department of Public Service (Department) staff completed its annual review of the electric service reliability performance of the New York State electric utilities and presented its report for 2024 to the Commission. The Commission relies on two primary metrics to measure performance: the System Average Interruption Frequency Index (SAIFI or frequency) and the Customer Average Interruption Duration Index (CAIDI or duration). Excluding major storms, the statewide interruption frequency for 2024 was 0.59. This is approximately two percent worse than last year and seven percent better than the statewide five-year average. The statewide interruption duration for 2024, excluding major storms, was 1.94 hours. This is 1.2 minutes longer than last year but approximately half a minute shorter than the five-year average. The state experienced 42 separate storm events that qualified as major storms in 2024.
Customers affected by major storms increased by approximately 108 percent compared to 2023 and customer hours of interruption from major storms increased by 161 percent compared to 2023. Reliability Performance Mechanisms (RPMs) are company-wide specific performance targets with compliance thresholds which the Commission adopts as part of the rate plans for major electric utilities. If the utilities fail to meet their reliability targets, as set in each utility’s rate plans, they will be subject to negative revenue adjustments (NRAs) which can be applied to current or future rate plans. The reliability incentive metrics emphasize continual improvement and are designed to financially incentivize the company to improve each year. NYSEG failed to meet its RPMs for frequency and incurred an NRA of $3.5 million. This is the sixth consecutive year that NYSEG has not met this target, highlighting a persisting pattern of underperformance.
Meanwhile, PSEG Long Island did not meet both its annual System Average Interruption Duration Index (SAIDI) and SAIFI metrics, resulting in the loss of the financial incentive compensation in the amounts of $430,793 and $402,073, respectively. All other electric utilities met their RPM targets in 2024.
Electric Safety: The Commission established electric safety standards to safeguard the public from exposure to stray voltage and to identify and eliminate potentially harmful conditions before serious safety hazards and/or reliability deficiencies develop. The standards include, among other requirements, stray voltage testing of streetlights and electric facilities that are accessible to the public. In 2024, manual stray voltage testing was performed on approximately one million utility facilities statewide, resulting in the identification of 172 stray voltage conditions; of which 84 (48.8%) were at potentially dangerous voltage levels of 4.5V or higher.
The overall number of stray voltage findings decreased by six, or 3.4 percent, from the 2023 level and the total number of findings above 4.5V decreased by 33, or 28.2 percent. All utilities are also in compliance with the inspection requirement for the fifth year of the fourth inspection cycle; in total, approximately 674,895 facilities were visually inspected in 2024. Since all test and inspection requirements were met, no revenue adjustments need be imposed by the Commission.
Gas Safety: Department staff evaluated critical areas of gas safety, including damage prevention, emergency response, leak management, and compliance with the minimum gas safety regulations identified through staff’s audit process. Overall, the data indicates that performance has substantially improved for local distribution companies (LDCs) across the state over the 22-year period that the Department of Public Service staff has been reporting performance to the Commission. It is important to note that the LDCs maintained focus on these performance measures, which ensured the same, if not a greater, level of public safety. In general, all LDCs have demonstrated improvement in these measures over the past several years.
Today’s reports may be obtained by going to the Commission Documents section of the Commission’s Web site at www.dps.ny.gov and entering Case Numbers 25-E-0263 (electric safety standards); 25-E-0031 (electric service reliability); or 25-G-0147 (pipeline safety) in the input box labeled "Search for Case/Matter Number". Many libraries offer free Internet access. Commission documents may also be obtained from the Commission’s Files Office, 14th floor, Three Empire State Plaza, Albany, NY 12223 (518-474-2500). If you have difficulty understanding English, please call us at 1-800-342-3377 for free language assistance services regarding this press release.
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