A pricey plan to keep the power on

BERLIN, Conn. (WTNH) -- In hopes of avoiding the chaos created by Irene and the October snowstorm last year, Connecticut Light & Power and the state want to stay one step ahead of Sandy.

It won't help us with Hurricane Sandy, but CL&P has filed plans with the state for how to help keep the lights on in future storms.

The power company wants to spend $300 million over the next five years to protect the power lines. $100 million of that will go towards "hardening" power lines. That basically means making some stronger so they can withstand storms.

The other $200 million will go towards trimming trees near power lines. If that sounds like a lot of money to cut some tree branches, it's really not.

"Some people may or may not know that Connecticut is one of the most forested states in the country," said Tricia Taskey Modifica, spokeswoman for Northeast Utilities. "So while we love our trees and they're beautiful, they can also pose serious problems for our system during any kind of storm."

We sure found that out the hard way with those two storms last year. After those storms, some people were saying let's bury many of the lines. That could have cost billions and billions of dollars and meant big rate increases. This plan, if it gets approved by the state, would only increase rates by an average of $6 a year.

Aditional Info: The Connecticut Post