Overhead Transmission

NYPA Trustees Approve $124 Million for Rebuild of Transmission Line in New York State

Oct. 11, 2018

An 86-mile stretch of an aging transmission line in New York State will soon be rebuilt by the New York Power Authority

An 86-mile stretch of an aging transmission line in New York State will soon be rebuilt by the New York Power Authority (NYPA) to pave the way towards its clean energy future. The Moses-Adirondack transmission line is now 70 years old and has extended its service life.

By rebuilding the line, NYPA will be able to support future upgrades in voltage, which in turn, would allow for the greater transmission of energy from renewable sources developed in northern New York. According to NYPA,.the new Smart Path Transmission Project will help to modernize the transmission system, enable more renewables to flow on the state grid and meet Governor Cuomo’s Clean Energy Standard, which calls for 50 percent of New York's consumed electricity to come from renewable energy sources by 2030.

“Rebuilding and modernizing our major transmission lines is vital to helping realize New York State’s clean energy policies and goals,” said Gil C. Quiniones, NYPA president and CEO. “These Smart Path upgrades will enable us to have a reliable, resilient transmission pathway from the North to the South.”

In early October, the NYPA Board of Trustees approved $124 million for the initial permitting, engineering, design and procurement of new steel poles and foundations for the planned rebuild of the Power Authority’s major North-South power transmission line. The funding follows Governor Cuomo’s announcement in July of last year that the state would be moving forward with the plan to rebuild the 78-mile stretch of transmission artery. NYPA trustees previously approved $18.6 million for earlier phases of the project, which is expected to cost about $480 million. NYPA’s new funding will help support additional engineering work as well as permitting and materials for the new lines.

When completed, Smart Path will run north to south through St. Lawrence and Lewis counties, carrying economical, clean and renewable energy, including low-cost hydropower from NYPA's St. Lawrence-Franklin D. Roosevelt Power Project. During the construction phase, the project is expected to create hundreds of jobs. Construction is expected to begin in 2020 and the lines are expected to be in service about three to four years after the start of construction.

Visit www.nypa.gov/smartpath for up-to-date information about the Moses-Adirondack Smart Path Reliability Project or view the video below.

About the Author

Amy Fischbach | Amy Fischbach, EUO Contributing Editor

Amy Fischbach is the Field Editor for T&D World magazine and manages the Electric Utility Operations section. She is the host of the Line Life Podcast, which celebrates the grit, courage and inspirational teamwork of the line trade. She also works on the annual Lineworker Supplement and the Vegetation Management Supplement as well as the Lineman Life and Lineman's Rodeo News enewsletters. Amy also covers events such as the Trees & Utilities conference and the International Lineman's Rodeo. She is the past president of the ASBPE Educational Foundation and ASBPE and earned her bachelor's and master's degrees in journalism from Kansas State University. She can be reached at [email protected].