NEWARK, N.J., May 24, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Summer will be here soon, and Public Service Electric and Gas Co. (PSE&G), New Jersey's largest utility, has made significant infrastructure investments that are in service for the first time this year, ensuring the utility is better prepared than ever to meet customer demand for safe, reliable electricity this summer.

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"PSE&G customers are benefiting from the $2.7 billion in electric and gas investments the utility made last year," said John Latka, senior vice president of electric and gas operations at PSE&G. "Equipment has been replaced, facilities upgraded and additional redundancies added system-wide in order to maintain reliability."

Notable projects completed since last summer include:


    --  Protected, raised or rebuilt four substations and switching stations
        that were damaged by water in recent storms.
    --  Installed relays and remote terminal units at 34 substations. This
        program deploys smart grid technologies to better monitor system
        operations to increase our ability to more swiftly deploy repair teams.
    --  Completed 55 projects that address critical facilities, including
        hospitals, water treatment plants, telecommunications facilities and
        police stations. This program creates redundancy in the system, reducing
        outages when damage occurs.
    --  Replaced 12 aging station transformers in order to maintain electric
        service reliability for customers in Bergen, Camden, Essex and Union
        Counties.
    --  Energized fifteen new 69,000-volt substations and associated lines. The
        new networks provide increased local transmission supply capacity to
        customers across our service area, including many living in Bergen,
        Burlington, Essex, Passaic and Union Counties.
    --  Invested $35 million in tree trimming last year to prevent tree contacts
        with energized power lines.

In addition to these electric distribution upgrades, PSE&G is energizing two transmission reliability projects. PJM Interconnection, the regional grid operator, determined that these reliability projects were needed to maintain reliability by relieving congestion on other regional transmission systems.

Bergen to Linden Corridor Upgrade
 Phase 1 of the $1.2 billion Bergen to Linden corridor upgrade will be fully energized and completed on schedule by June 1. This portion represents the upgrade from Ridgefield to Jersey City. When complete in 2018, the 345-kilovolt (kV) line will run from Ridgefield to Linden, maintaining reliability by relieving congestion on other regional transmission systems.

Sewaren-Metuchen Conversion Project
 The Sewaren-Metuchen 230kV conversion project, expected to be in service in June, runs from PSE&G switching station in Woodbridge to its switching station in Edison. The project replaces an existing 138kV transmission line. The new, higher voltage line will eliminate electric system capacity issues in central New Jersey, providing better power quality in the region.

The 2016 forecasted summer peak is 10,090 megawatts. Last year's peak was 9,579 megawatts, set on July 20(th), and PSE&G's all-time summer peak was 11,108 megawatts, set on August 2, 2006.

PSE&G expects to have no problem delivering the additional power, but utility crews are at the ready to respond to service interruptions should they occur. The utility's rigorous preparedness program for summer includes conducting employee training, developing emergency summer operating plans, and performing summer peak reliability analysis, helicopter and climbing inspections of transmission circuits, infrared inspections, system reinforcements and transmission line work.

"These significant investments in transmission and distribution facilities - along with our highly trained and skilled workforce - are what keep PSE&G among the most reliable utilities in the nation, year after year," Latka said.

PSE&G
Public Service Electric and Gas Company (PSE&G) is New Jersey's oldest and largest regulated gas and electric delivery utility, serving nearly three-quarters of the state's population. PSE&G is the winner of the ReliabilityOne Award for superior electric system reliability. PSE&G is a subsidiary of Public Service Enterprise Group Incorporated (PSEG) (NYSE:PEG), a diversified energy company.
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Forward-Looking Statement
 The statements contained in this communication about our and our subsidiaries' future performance, including, without limitation, future revenues, earnings, strategies, prospects, consequences and all other statements that are not purely historical, are forward-looking statements for purposes of the safe harbor provisions under The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Although we believe that our expectations are based on information currently available and on reasonable assumptions, we can give no assurance they will be achieved. There are a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements made herein. A discussion of some of these risks and uncertainties is contained in our Annual Report on Form 10-K and subsequent reports on Form 10-Q and Form 8-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), and available on our website: http://www.pseg.com. These documents address in further detail our business, industry issues and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated in this communication. In addition, any forward-looking statements included herein represent our estimates only as of the date hereof and should not be relied upon as representing our estimates as of any subsequent date. While we may elect to update forward-looking statements from time to time, we specifically disclaim any obligation to do so, even if our internal estimates change, unless otherwise required by applicable securities laws.

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SOURCE PSE&G