Con Edison says power restored in Lower Manhattan

Sept. 19, 2001
Consolidated Edison Inc. said it restored electrical service to its Cortlandt network Wednesday returning service to all networks in Lower Manhattan that lost power after Tuesday's terrorist attack on New York's World Trade Center. Tuesday, the company began restoring electric service to Battery Park City.


By the OGJ Online Staff

HOUSTON, Sept. 19 -- Consolidated Edison Inc. said it restored electrical service to its Cortlandt network Wednesday returning service to all networks in Lower Manhattan that lost power after Tuesday's terrorist attack on New York's World Trade Center.

The company urged customers whose power has been restored to minimize use of electricity while work continues in the area. The Cortlandt network serves about 1,800 customers.

Tuesday, the company began restoring electric service to Battery Park City. Con Edison said all networks affected by the attack are energized, but individual buildings may be without power until the company can gain access to them to turn on electrical connections.

Earlier, the company reported restoring power to the majority of its Fulton network, one of several networks shut down after terrorists commandeered two commercial aircraft and rammed the World Trade Center with them.

For safety reasons, access to some areas where electric service has been restored may still be restricted and customers should contact local authorities before attempting to return to their homes or businesses, Con Edison said.

Transmission lines from the two substations that were destroyed by the collapse of a building in the World Trade Center complex were cut and isolated from the transmission system. The company cut and isolated damaged electrical cables buried beneath debris-clogged streets.

Temporary generators are providing power to some buildings. In some cases, the generator cannot handle the entire building load so building personnel have disconnected electrical service to some of their tenants.

More than 1,900 Con Edison employees have worked around the clock to restore power in Lower Manhattan and thousands more have worked behind the scenes. More than 33 miles of high voltage cable were laid around the damage zone, on the streets, and in trenches dug to shield the wires.

The company said extensive destruction in the World Trade Center area interrupted service to the majority of the telephone lines for callers to Con Edison. In the interim, the company asked customers with billing or customer-service inquiries to call back when phone service is fully restored in order to keep the lines free for callers reporting emergencies.