Public Service Electric and Gas
PSE&G serves the population in an area consisting of a 2600 sqmi diagonal corridor across the state from Bergen to Gloucester Counties.[23][24] PSE&G is the largest provider of gas and electric service, servicing 1.8 million gas customers and 2.2 million electric customers in more than 300 urban, suburban and rural communities, including New Jersey's six largest cities.
PSE&G's transmission line voltages are 500 kilovolts (kV), 345 kV, 230 kV and 138 kV with interconnections to utilities in Pennsylvania, Delaware, and New York. The company's subtransmission voltages are 69 kV and 26 kV. PSEG's distribution voltages are 13.2 kV and 4.16 kV.
PSEG Power
PSEG Power has four main subsidiaries: PSEG Nuclear, PSEG Fossil, PSEG Energy Resources & Trade, and PSEG Power Ventures.[25]
PSEG Nuclear operates three nuclear reactors at two sites in Lower Alloways Creek Township, New Jersey. It owns and operates the Hope Creek Nuclear Generating Station and holds a 57 percent stake in the Salem Nuclear Power Plant, which it operates in partnership with Exelon Corporation. The three reactors receive $300 million annually in subsidies.[26] PSEG also shares ownership of the Peach Bottom Nuclear Generating Station in Pennsylvania with Exelon in a 50/50 joint venture; Exelon operates that facility.[27]
In October 2024, the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities approved a settlement that raised the average residential customer’s combined electric and gas bill by 7%, or approximately $15 per month. PSEG stated this was its first base rate increase since 2018 and noted that the adjustment was below the overall rate of inflation during that period. The increase was part of a rate case required by a previous settlement, aiming to recover costs from infrastructure investments and rising operational expenses, including wages and benefits.[28][29][30]
PSEG Long Island
PSEG Long Island supplies electricity to approximately 1.1 million customers in Nassau and Suffolk counties, as well as the Rockaway Peninsula in Queens, New York City.[31] The company operates under an agreement with the Long Island Power Authority (LIPA), a state agency that owns the electric grid. This arrangement began on January 1, 2014.[32] PSEG was selected to manage the system more directly following criticism of LIPA’s performance during Hurricane Sandy. Under the new agreement, PSEG assumed most operational responsibilities and rebranded the service under its own name.
In 2020, the Long Island Power Authority (LIPA) filed a lawsuit in New York court against PSEG Long Island, seeking $70 million in damages. The suit alleged the company failed to adequately respond to Tropical Storm Isaias, citing corporate mismanagement, misfeasance, and indifference. LIPA CEO Tom Falcone stated that PSEG Long Island had collected nearly $500 million from local customers over seven years without fulfilling basic service obligations.[33]
Rate increases and financial concerns
Rate increases and financial concerns
In 2024, PSEG Long Island customers faced frequent rate changes, with seven power supply charge increases occurring in a single year. One such increase added about $10 per month to the average bill. The utility attributed these changes to fluctuations in natural gas prices used for electricity generation and stated that it did not profit from the power supply charge. Nonetheless, the increases led to significant public dissatisfaction.[34]
Long Island residential electricity customers, who already pay some of the highest utility rates in the United States, were charged $4.4 million by PSEG to cover the utility’s expenses in pursuing a proposed rate increase. According to the AARP and the Public Utility Law Project, this amount included costs related to lobbying the Long Island Power Authority for a nearly 12% electric rate hike over three years. The practice drew criticism, with consumer advocates describing it as an added financial burden for customers who already pay 62% more than the national average for electricity.[35]
In early 2024, the LIPA board raised concerns about declining customer service at PSEG Long Island’s call center. LIPA chairwoman Tracey Edwards described service levels as “horrible,” citing data showing that only 15% of calls were answered within 30 seconds in February 2024, down from 41.8% for all of 2023. The average call handling time was reported at 473 seconds, or nearly eight minutes. In a previous instance, customers waited an average of 22 minutes in September 2022.[36]
PSEG attributed the decline in performance to increased call volume and staffing shortages. However, LIPA board members disputed this explanation. Edwards stated that call volumes were not unusual and emphasized the importance of improving service. The issue is considered especially pressing as PSEG prepares to transition 1.1 million customers to a new time-of-use rate plan, which is expected to increase the volume of customer inquiries.[36]
Negligence and ignored claims
PSEG Long Island has faced criticism for operational issues beyond storm response, including routine maintenance and safety concerns. A federal judge filed a lawsuit against the utility, alleging that its negligence caused a fire that destroyed his Suffolk County home. The suit seeks $515,000 for uninsured rebuilding costs. The judge stated that a utility worker had informed him that a nearby transformer, which was later destroyed in the fire, was outdated and inadequate for its intended function.[37]
Customer claims related to property damage are often difficult to resolve. Of the approximately 2,400 claims filed with PSEG Long Island each year, only about 15% are approved.[37]
2025 LIPA contract
In early 2025, LIPA completed a competitive bidding process to determine the future operator of Long Island’s electric grid after the expiration of its current contract with PSEG Long Island at the end of the year. The final candidates were PSEG Long Island and Quanta Services, a Texas-based utility firm.[38]
After a year-long internal review, a special committee of senior officials at the Long Island Power Authority (LIPA) unanimously recommended awarding a contract to Quanta, describing its proposal as offering the “best value to the LIPA customers.”[39] However, the LIPA board voted 6–1 to reject the recommendation, which led to a vote of no confidence in LIPA’s leadership.[40][41][42]
Despite the committee’s recommendation, LIPA’s Board of Trustees voted 6–1 to retain PSEG Long Island, with two members abstaining.
