New York approves $854M transmission line, outlines path to reach storage, renewables goals

Dive Brief:

The New York Public Service Commission (PSC) on Thursday approved a 93-mile, $854 million transmission project that includes a new line planned to run from Oneida County to Albany County. The 345-kV transmission line will help the state meet renewable energy goals set by the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA).
LS Power Grid New York and the New York Power Authority (NYPA) will jointly develop the transmission line, the Marcy to New Scotland Upgrade Project, which also includes new and upgraded substations and the replacement of older transmission towers.
Staff of the New York Department of Public Service on Tuesday published a long-awaited power grid study, outlining work needed for the state to meet CLCPA goals. The Marcy to New Scotland project was among those the study assumed would be completed.

Dive Insight:

The Initial Report on the New York Power Grid Study is really three studies: one covering potential distribution and local transmission upgrades, an offshore wind integration study, and a study identifying transmission upgrades to support decarbonizing the electricity sector by 2040.

The report identifies local transmission and distribution upgrades that need to happen before 2030, and recommends New York get started on an upcoming competitive solicitation transmission planning process to build new transmission between Long Island and New York. But otherwise the report concludes existing bulk transmission projects, either under construction or in the permitting process, position the state to meet interim CLCPA goals.

CLCPA requirements include minimum amounts of certain types of resources: 6,000 MW of distributed solar resources by 2025, 3,000 MW of storage by 2030, and 9,000 MW of offshore wind by 2035.

New York's CLCPA goals call for "transformational quantities of renewable energy, which in turn requires smart new transmission," PSC Chair John Rhodes said in a statement.

"Even greater quantities of various types of renewable generation are necessary to achieve the clean energy mandates for 2040 and 2050," the report concludes. "Meeting these milestones will require investment in renewable generation, as well as storage, energy efficiency measures, electrification of the transportation and heating sectors, and electric transmission and distribution infrastructure."

The report says bulk transmission from upstate into New York City and Long Island "will likely become cost-effective after 2035 as the grid approaches zero emissions, as a means to address high congestion costs associated with the unavailability of fossil-fueled generation options."

The findings conclude that by 2040, more than 9,000 MW of offshore wind, 30,000 MW of land-based renewables and 15,000 MW of storage may be needed to support a 100% emissions free grid.

Upgrades like the Marcy to New Scotland project "will enhance our ability to break up congestion points and to onboard more clean energy to our state's electric grid," NYPA CEO and President Gil Quiniones said in a statement.

The PSC also approved an environmental management and construction plan necessary for NextEra Energy Transmission New York to construct the Empire State Line Project, which includes a 20-mile, 345 kV transmission line located in Niagara and Erie counties.

"Construction of the project is slated to start soon," the governor's office said in a statement.

The Power Grid Study will now be open for public comment, before the report's recommendations are considered by the PSC.