Union Workers Complete Important ConEd Clean Energy Project in Queens

With union workers from IBEW Local 3 and Local 1-2 of the Utility Workers Union of America, Con Edison recently completed a six-mile-long transmission line in Queens that will carry increasingly renewable electricity, enabling the retirement of a fossil fuel-fired power plant in Astoria. This transmission line is the first of three Reliable Clean City projects that ConEd began in 2021 to move New York State closer to meeting the environmental goals in the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA).

The work in Queens accounts for $275 million of the $800 million ConEd is investing in the Reliable Clean City projects, with one in Brooklyn and one in Staten Island already underway. In total, the Queens, Brooklyn, and Staten Island lines will add 900 megawatts (MW) of transmission capacity across New York City.

“Generations of New Yorkers will enjoy a cleaner environment and continued reliable service, thanks to the work of Con Edison’s great unionized workforce on this project,” said Christopher Erikson, the business manager of IBEW Local 3. “Our members look forward with pride to the completion of Reliable Clean City projects in Brooklyn and Staten Island, which will mark additional steps toward a future with clean air and good public health, particularly for those in disadvantaged communities.”

“We are proud to support upgrades to the system that will ensure reliable clean power for our city that is staffed by a workforce of dedicated professionals such as the people who make up Local 1-2 of the Utility Workers Union of America,” said James Shillitto, the president of the local. “Our members are proud to apply their skills, talents, and knowledge to ensuring that our region remains safe and sustainable.”