2006 Queens blackout
| Industry | Electric utility |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | New York City , United States |
Key people | Kevin Burke (CEO in 2006) |
The 2006 Queens blackout consisted of multiple power outage incidents in July 2006 that affected the northwestern areas of Queens, including neighborhoods such as Astoria, Long Island City, Sunnyside, and Woodside. This disruption impacted approximately 174,000 residents, resulted in business losses estimated to be in the tens of millions of dollars, interrupted operations at airports and transit systems, and exacerbated conditions during an ongoing heat wave.
Cause
The power failures were attributed to Consolidated Edison's choice to maintain electricity supply to 400,000 customers via twenty-two feeder cables after ten had malfunctioned, which placed excessive strain on the remaining twelve cables. The repair efforts involved thorough inspections from manhole to manhole and replacement of smaller damaged cables. According to Con Edison, the cables that failed had an average service life of 16 years, with some as old as 59 years. An initial progress update was planned for August 2, 2006.
Effects
The blackout occurred during a heat wave affecting New York City during the week of July 17. It caused power outages at LaGuardia Airport and portions of the subway system and necessitated the use of backup generators at Rikers Island. The most severe consequence was a prolonged outage impacting roughly 100,000 residents in northwest Queens beginning on July 17. Initially, Con Edison estimated only about 1,600 customers were affected but later increased this estimate by a factor of ten. It is important to note that Con Edison counts each building as a single customer regardless of how many occupants it houses.
Restoration of power
Con Edison originally anticipated restoring electricity by the end of July 23; however, CEO Kevin Burke later stated he could not provide a definitive timeline for full service restoration. By July 24, power had been restored to approximately half of those affected, while the remainder continued without service. During the outage, New York City authorities supplied food and shelter to those impacted. Con Edison offered compensation for spoiled food up to $150 without receipts or up to $350 with receipts, while merchants could claim reimbursements up to $7,000. Subsequently, the company removed the requirement for grocery receipts.
After the blackout
The extensive scale of the outage and Con Edison’s management prompted criticism directed at both the utility company and Mayor Michael Bloomberg. At a press conference on July 19, Bloomberg responded dismissively to questions regarding the Astoria power situation, which had received extensive local media attention throughout the week. Frustrated residents reached out to local media outlets to express concerns about widespread effects including subway disruptions. By Friday, Bloomberg adjusted his stance in response to public pressure.
Due to dissatisfaction with Con Edison’s response, Councilmember Eric Gioia publicly called for CEO Kevin Burke’s dismissal during a radio interview on July 24.
In August 2006, hearings conducted by the New York Public Service Commission featured testimony from James Gallagher of the Department of Public Service, who characterized the blackout as posing a "significant public health and safety risk" along with substantial economic damage.