1. What does the Long Island Replacement Cable (LIRC) project involve?

   We are replacing the existing seven fluid-filled cables that rest on top of 11 miles of sea bed in Long Island Sound between Norwalk, Connecticut, and Northport, New York, with three state-of-the-art solid core cables that will carry the same amount of power. The new cables will be buried about six feet beneath the ocean floor using water jet technology to dig the trenches.

2. Why is a new cable being installed?

   To improve the availability and reliability of electric power in Connecticut and New York and to improve environmental conditions. The present cable system has been in service for more than 35 years and is vulnerable to damage from external sources including boat and buoy anchors or shellfish dredging equipment. By replacing the fluid-filled cables with a state-of-the-art solid core cable and burying it the entire length between Norwalk and Northport, the risk of leaks and potential environmental impacts will be eliminated.

3. Is the transmission line being replaced primarily to sell power to Long Island?

   No. The existing transmission line will be replaced by a more reliable, environmentally friendly design of the same transmission capacity.

4. How long is the replacement cable?

   Each of the 3 new cables will be approximately 11 miles long, the same length as each existing cable.

5. How will the cables be buried?

   The cables will be installed using a water jet technology that fluidizes a trench approximately six feet deep in the ocean floor. As sediment is fluidized, the cables settle in under their own weight. When the water pressure is removed, the soil then re-settles over the cable. The hydraulic jet plow can either be towed by a surface vessel, or be self-propelled. This means of burying the cables helps limit sediment dispersal outside the corridor, and is comparable to a natural tidal action.

6. What marine and natural resources are impacted by the project?

   Sea life affected by the operation may include finfish, shellfish and other organisms living in or near the ocean floor. Since the new cables will be laid where the existing cables are located, the impact to marine and natural resources will be minimal and temporary.

7. What will happen to the existing cables?

   The objective is to completely remove all seven cables from termination to termination. All seven cables will be de-energized, dielectric fluid will be removed and the cables will be removed from the terminations at the Norwalk Harbor and Northport substations.

8. Will the new cables affect boat navigation instruments?

   No. The new cables will not affect navigation equipment and/or instruments.

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