Officials with New Jersey Natural Gas (NJNG), which was the hardest hit of all the natural gas utilities on the East Coast when Superstorm Sandy struck last October, have submitted a plan to the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (BPU) that is designed to give the distribution infrastructure and its customers greater protection from the next super storm.

Through its New Jersey Reinvestment in System Enhancements (NJ RISE) program, NJNG proposes to invest more than $100 million for storm “hardening and mitigation projects” in the most prone portions of its service territory. The gas distributor said it will seek to recover the capital investment costs associated with NJ RISE through an annual adjustment to its base rate.

Superstorm Sandy pummeled the New Jersey coastline with 80 mph winds on Oct. 30, damaging NJNG’s gas distribution system and disrupting service to many of its customers. “We have firsthand experience with the effects that extreme weather events can cause,” said Laurence M. Downes, chairman of New Jersey Resources, parent of NJNG.

“With NJ RISE, we are committed to improving our system and minimizing the impacts to our customers.” The Wall, NJ-based utility serves more than 500,000 gas customers in the southern, central and northern parts of the state.

Monmouth and Ocean counties, the heart of NJNG’s service territory, were the hardest hit by Superstorm Sandy, according to the utility. Due to the extensive damage, service was curtailed to the barrier island from Bay Head to Seaside Park and Long Beach Island. Working around the clock, NJNG said it repressurized or replaced 270 miles of main, installed one mile of 12-inch main, rebuilt or replaced 51,000 meters, completed 121,000 service assessments and restored service to more than 30,000 customers in less than eight weeks following the storm (see Daily GPI, Nov. 14, 2012).

The NJNG enhancement projects call for the installation of 1.5 miles of distribution main in Sea Bright (borough in Monmouth County) as a secondary feed; installation off a new high-pressure feed to Mantoloking (borough in Ocean City); installation of a second feed from Toms River (township in Ocean City) to the South Seaside Peninsula; the installation of six miles of distribution main as a secondary feed to Long Beach Island; the installation of a supplemental regulator station on Long Beach Island; and the installation of 35,000 excess flow valves (EFVs) in potential storm-affected areas.

“These upgrades will help mitigate the number and duration of outages, improve NJNG’s ability to respond to and control service disruptions and enhance the safety and reliability of its system. Pending BPU, approval NJNG will begin with the installation of the EFVs and complete necessary engineering and design work for the construction of the other projects,” the utility said.