Long Island Lighting Company
| File:LILCO.jpg LILCO Logo from the 1960s and 1990s | |
| Industry | Electric utility |
|---|---|
| Founded | Long Island, New York (1911) by Ellis Laurimore Phillips & George W. Olmsted |
| Defunct | 1998 |
| Fate | Electrical transmission assets acquired by LIPA; electrical distribution and natural gas services merged with Brooklyn Union Gas to establish KeySpan |
| Successor | Long Island Power Authority, KeySpan |
| Headquarters | Hicksville, New York, United States |
Key people | W. J. Catacosinos, Chairman & CEO, J. T. Flynn, President & COO, A. Nozzolillo Sr. VP-Finance & CFO, T. A. Babcock, Treasurer, K. A. Marion, Corporate Secretary |
| Products | Electrical and natural gas utility serving Nassau, Suffolk, and Queens Counties on Long Island, New York |
The Long Island Lighting Company (LILCO) operated as an electric power and natural gas provider for approximately 2.7 million residents in Nassau, Suffolk, and Queens counties on Long Island, New York, from its establishment in 1911 until 1998.
Establishment
LILCO was created in 1911 by engineer Ellis Laurimore Phillips alongside investors such as George W. Olmsted, through the consolidation of multiple smaller local utilities into a single interconnected grid serving Long Island. Early acquisitions encompassed electric companies located in Amityville, Islip, Northport, and Sayville.
To address the rapidly escalating electricity consumption—which increased sixfold between 1910 and 1925—LILCO developed the Glenwood Generating Station from 1928 to 1931. This plant reflected LILCO’s strategy of emphasizing centralized generation facilities linked via transmission lines rather than relying on numerous smaller local plants. By 1936, Glenwood had become the principal generating station of the system, overseeing the entire network operations from its control center.
Expansion during mid-20th century
In response to Long Island’s post-World War II population surge, LILCO substantially increased its generation capabilities. During the 1950s, it commissioned two additional units at Glenwood Generating Station, two units at the newly constructed E. F. Barrett Power Station, and one unit at the Far Rockaway Power Station. The New York Times recognized Glenwood as "one of the most modern power plants in the country," highlighting its state-of-the-art electrostatic precipitators for particulate removal, valve silencers, and noise reduction barriers. It was notable for being the first turbine generator installed on an open deck in the Northeastern United States. Additionally, four units were built at the Port Jefferson Power Station between 1948 and 1960.
From 1967 through 1977, the four units at the Northport Power Station emerged as Long Island's largest power generation facility. Alongside these substantial steam turbine plants, LILCO also introduced several smaller gas turbine generators in the early 1970s, primarily located at E. F. Barrett and a new plant in Holtsville.
Challenges
For many years, LILCO faced criticism over its steep electricity rates, which were often cited as part of a problematic trio affecting Long Island life, alongside the Long Island Rail Road's operational shortcomings and the heavy congestion on the Long Island Expressway.
In 1983, Suffolk County officials declared that evacuation during an emergency at LILCO’s Shoreham Nuclear Power Plant was not feasible. To mitigate these concerns, LILCO established the Local Emergency Response Organization (LERO), composed of Shoreham engineers and company staff, designed to support the community in the event of a nuclear crisis.
Following Hurricane Gloria's impact on Long Island on September 27, 1985, power restoration efforts extended until October 8. The inadequate response by LILCO during this storm further eroded public confidence and amplified demands for Shoreham’s closure. Ultimately, Shoreham was decommissioned in 1992 without ever operating beyond limited test power due to LILCO's inability to provide a credible evacuation strategy.
Closure and subsequent developments
On March 5, 1998, federal authorities approved the acquisition of LILCO’s electrical transmission infrastructure by the Long Island Power Authority (LIPA), a public entity in New York. The transfer was finalized later that year. While LIPA took over LILCO’s power distribution assets, the company’s generation and natural gas divisions merged with Brooklyn Union Gas to create KeySpan, which continued managing LILCO’s former transmission system under contract.
KeySpan was later purchased by National Grid USA in 2007. In 2014, National Grid handed over control of Long Island’s electrical transmission facilities to Public Service Enterprise Group, a utility based in New Jersey.
Principal power stations
All sites are located within New York.
| Name | Location | Units commissioned | Nominal capacity | Present condition | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Glenwood Generating Station | Glenwood Landing | 1930–1954 | Decommissioned in 2012 and subsequently demolished | ||
| Far Rockaway Power Station | Far Rockaway, Queens | 1953 | Decommissioned in 2012 and demolished | ||
| E. F. Barrett Power Station | Barnum Island | 1956–1963 | 385 MW | Operational | |
| Port Jefferson Power Station | Port Jefferson | 1948–1960 | 383 MW | Active; Units 1 and 2 retired in 1994 | |
| Northport Power Station | Fort Salonga | 1967–1977 | 1,522 MW | Currently operational | |
| Shoreham Nuclear Power Plant | East Shoreham | 1984 | 820 MW | Never entered commercial operation | |
In addition to these major facilities, LILCO constructed smaller gas turbine plants at various locations including East Hampton North, Holtsville, Southampton, Southold, and West Babylon.