Dive Brief:
- New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo last week announced plans to rebuild 78 miles of power transmission infrastructure in the northern part of the state, aiming to bring more renewable power from hydroelectric facilities and wind farms.
- The state will pursue an expedited permitting schedule because the right-of-way is not being expanded. Construction is expected to take four years and would begin in 2019, with the rebuild pricetag totaling $440 million.
- The line currently operates at 230 kV, but once the rebuild it complete, it will move up to 345 kV and will help New York to meet its ambitious clean energy goals.
Dive Insight:
New York is targeting 50% renewable energy by 2030, and transmission projects that connect demand centers with upstate resources are a key strategy to meet that target.
"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," Cuomo said in a statement.
The governor also said investment in transmission will help to foster more competitive wholesale energy markets.
The Moses-Adirondack Smart Path Reliability project is expected to create approximately 2,000 full-time jobs during development and construction. The line will run north to south, through St. Lawrence and Lewis counties, and will help move low-cost hydropower from New York Power Authority's St. Lawrence-Franklin D. Roosevelt hydro project, and power from newly constructed wind farms, solar power projects and other large-scale renewable energy sources.
The state will replace of 78 of 86-miles on each of two transmission lines that were originally constructed by the federal government in 1942 and acquired by NYPA in 1953.
New York has already completed several transmission projects to help meet its goals, including the Marcy South Series Compensation Project and the Ramapo to Rock Tavern project. And there are two additional transmission projects being evaluated in the Western New York and the Central East and Upstate-Southeast regions.
