NY to Rebuild 78 Miles of Power Transmission Infrastructure
This will modernizes the electric power grid and help to meet Gov. Cuomo's Clean Energy Standard of 50 percent renewable electricity by 2030.
New York Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo has announced plans to rebuild 78 miles of power transmission infrastructure in the northern part of the state, saying the project will strengthen the reliability of the state's electric power grid and enable more upstate renewable energy to connect to the power system throughout the state. The newly rebuilt transmission line, called the Moses-Adirondack Smart Path Reliability project, will help the state meet the governor's Clean Energy Standard requiring that 50 percent of New York's consumed electricity comes from renewable energy sources by 2030.
"This critical upgrade will help strengthen our clean energy economy in every corner of the state, and help New York reach its nation-leading clean energy standard," he said. "By investing in the long-term sustainability of our state's energy infrastructure today, we are helping to ensure New Yorkers will have access to a cleaner, greener future for years to come."
All of the construction is expected to take place on existing rights-of-way to minimize the impact on the environment and adjacent property and landowners; construction is estimated to take four years and is slated to begin in 2019.
The project will run north to south through St. Lawrence and Lewis counties carrying renewable energy, including low-cost hydropower from the St. Lawrence-Franklin D. Roosevelt Power Project and power from newly constructed wind farms, solar power projects and other large-scale renewable energy sources.
"This Smart Path project supports the pioneering approach under Governor Cuomo's Reforming the Energy Vision to spur investments into a more innovative transmission system and infrastructure modernization to modernize the grid," said Richard L. Kauffman, New York state's chairman of Energy and Finance. "These investments also help us add more distributed resources like wind and solar to the grid as we build a cleaner, more resilient and affordable energy system, supporting good jobs and economic development across New York."
The $440 million rebuild of the Moses-Adirondack transmission artery includes replacing 78 of the 86 miles on each of two transmission lines that were originally constructed by the federal government in 1942 and acquired by the New York Power Authority in 1953. The transmission lines run from Massena in St. Lawrence County to a substation in the town of Croghan in Lewis County. The transmission lines are still supported in many areas by outmoded wooden poles that will be replaced with new steel monopole structures. The new structures and conductors will be capable of transmitting up to 345 kilovolts but will be operated in the near term at the current level of 230kV. According to the state, the ability to increase the voltage when the demand requires is a cost-effective way to unlock more renewable power, especially in-state renewable generation and imports of hydro from Canada, to anywhere along the transmission line as New York continues to advance its clean energy goals.