LIPA and National Grid fire contractor
Long Island Power Authority has washed its hands of Bortech.
LIPA spokesman Mark Gross released a statement yesterday evening that its contract with Bortech, the company digging a pipeline under the bay from Crescent Beach to Southold, has been voided. No new work is expected until sometime in 2014 as the power company and its corporate partner, National Grid, look for a new contractor.
“National Grid, our service provider and project manager on this project, notified our drilling contractor Bortech that they have been terminated,” the statement from Mr. Gross said. “While work on the project will stop immediately, we are currently negotiating an amount of time for them to properly demobilize from the work site (both Shelter Island and Southold). Any options going forward to complete this project must make complete technical and economic sense. Once National Grid presents these options to LIPA we will review them and move forward with a course of action. We would not expect any physical work on the project to start until after the new year.”
A call to Bortech for further information was not returned.
Started in April to provide a much-needed backup source of electricity for the Island, the $9 million project was originally scheduled to be completed by Memorial Day.
