Con Edison has broken ground on a $1.3 billion energy substation in Canarsie, Brooklyn, designed to deliver high-voltage electricity to over 52,000 residents in Central and East Brooklyn.

The project, known as the Gateway Park Substation, is part of a broader effort to modernize the city's energy infrastructure and ensure grid resilience amid rising demand. It will be supported by 28 miles of underground cable linking it to the Brooklyn Clean Energy Hub in Vinegar Hill.

John Carucci, construction manager and Brooklyn native, said the station is being built to reduce the risk of widespread outages like those experienced in past years. 

According to Con Edison, energy demand in Brooklyn is projected to rise 16% in the next decade, driven by population growth, new housing, and the push to electrify buildings and transportation.

Allyson Martinez, executive director of Brooklyn Level Up, highlighted the project's importance for climate equity. "East Brooklyn is one of the last bastions of Black homeownership in NYC," she said. "Residents are confronting extreme heat, lack of tree canopy, and rising energy costs."

The substation is scheduled for completion by 2028, and is part of Con Edison's long-term strategy to deliver reliable, affordable, and climate-resilient power across the borough.