Restoration Work Completed Following Successful Installation of Major New Power Cable from New Jersey to Long Island

Wantagh, NY-June 6, 2007-The Wantagh State Parkway bicycle path has reopened following the successful installation of a major new power cable that will provide the Long Island Power Authority (LIPA) with access to previously unreachable sources of electricity in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and the mid-West.

The bike path was temporarily closed last fall to allow work on the cable project to proceed along and under the east side of Wantagh State Parkway from Jones Beach State Park north to Cedar Creek County Park in Wantagh.  It reopened before Memorial Day weekend following completion of landscape restoration along and resurfacing of the bike path.

“I’m delighted that the success of the Neptune cable project also means the reopening of a local treasure, the bike path along Wantagh Parkway, complete with a new surface and some new landscaping to go with it,” said Long Island Power Authority (LIPA) CEO and President Richard M. Kessel.  “Bicycle riders, joggers and recreational walkers can once again take advantage of this wonderful facility, while all of LIPA’s customers will benefit from our ability to access lower cost sources of energy through the Neptune cable once it opens this summer.”

“This bike path provides a great opportunity to experience and appreciate the natural beauty of Long Island,” said Carol Ash, Commissioner of the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. “The reopening of this path, on the heels of National Trails Day, is the perfect time torecognize the importance of the various recreational trails in New York.”

“We truly appreciate the patience of the public as we fulfill our commitment to complete the Neptune project on a timely basis and commence delivery of much needed power to Long Island,” said Ed Stern, CEO of Neptune Regional Transmission System.

“We also want to thank the Office of Parks and the Department of Transportation for their close cooperation in making sure the bike path restoration work was done safely and well by Hallen Construction and several other excellent local contractors.”

The Neptune Regional Transmission System will link Long Island to diverse sources of energy in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and eleven other states in the mid-Atlantic and Ohio River Valley regions. It will provide up to 660 megawatts of electricity to help meet Long Island’s needs when it opens this summer.

Neptune was selected as the off-Island component of a diverse portfolio of resources developed by LIPA under a comprehensive request for proposals process in accordance with the procurement requirements of the State of New York.  The 65-mile-long cable will connect New Cassel, Long Island with Sayreville, New Jersey.  In conjunction with the 25-mile-long cross-Sound cable between Shoreham, Long Island and New Haven, Connecticut, it will open up an energy corridor that runs from the mid-West and mid-Atlantic, through Long Island, and on into New England and Canada.

LIPA, a non-profit municipal electric utility, owns the retail electric Transmission and Distribution System on Long Island and provides electric service to more than 1.1 million customers in Nassau and Suffolk counties and the Rockaway Peninsula in Queens.  LIPA is the 3rd largest municipal electric utility in the nation in terms of customers served and the 6th largest in terms of electricity delivered.  In 2006, LIPA outperformed all other overhead electric utilities in New York State in all three major reliability categories.  LIPA does not provide natural gas service or own any on-island generating assets. More information about LIPA can be found online at: http://www.lipower.org.

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