The New York Independent System Operator (NYISO) selected LS Power Grid New York, LLC (formerly known as North America Transmission, LLC), together with the New York Power Authority (NYPA), as the developer of a portion of NYISO’s AC Transmission Upgrades. NYISO’s selection is the final step in a series of processes lasting more than five years, with substantial public and stakeholder involvement, to identify the most efficient and cost-effective transmission upgrades to reduce congestion, improve reliability, and provide better access to renewable resources around New York State by strengthening the transmission system.
“LS Power looks forward to working closely with NYPA, NYISO, and the local communities in which the project is located,” says Paul Thessen, president of LS Power. “Our team put significant effort into providing the best possible proposal with the most benefits to New York. We are very encouraged that NYISO’s process recognized these benefits, and we are excited to continue our work to deliver these benefits to the State and all New Yorkers.”
The selected project includes upgrading existing electric system facilities and rebuilding aging existing transmission lines from the Edic substation in Marcy to New Scotland. LS Power has taken great care in its proposal to utilize existing electric transmission corridors and minimize the footprint of these projects. Replacing the existing aging and outdated towers – more than 60 years old in some cases – with today’s latest technologies enables more efficient energy flow while reducing the number of transmission structures.
“The New York Power Authority is pleased LS Power Grid New York’s proposed transmission project, in which NYPA is participating as a minority stakeholder, has been approved by the New York Independent System Operator,” says Gil C. Quiniones, NYPA president and CEO. “This transmission upgrade complements several other major NYPA transmission efforts, including the currently underway Smart Path in Northern New York and the completed and operational Marcy South Series Compensation project. These projects are coming to life as realizations of Governor Andrew Cuomo’s NY Energy Highway Blueprint, released in 2012, as a plan designed to enable more effective and efficient clean energy power flows across the state’s electric grid and foster more robust energy markets. The NYISO Board’s approval paves the way for a new set of cost effective, efficient transmission upgrades.”
With New York State’s focus on clean and renewable energy, the 2012 Energy Highway Blueprint has now evolved into the Clean Energy Highway, which along with the Governor’s Clean Energy Standard, is working to ensure clean, cost-effective energy is available to all New Yorkers. Governor Cuomo’s Clean Energy Highway will help realize New York’s clean energy goals by providing a coordinated approach and business model for the State’s rapidly evolving 21st-century electricity system while also applying a steadfast commitment to clean energy.
LS Power appreciates NYISO’s review of the many competing proposals submitted in the AC Transmission Public Policy Transmission Planning Process. The result marks the latest example of electricity customers benefitting from competition under the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s Order No. 1000 and the second time NYISO has selected a non-incumbent company to develop transmission in New York State. In addition, NYISO’s selection of the LS Power project – consisting of about100 miles of upgraded electric transmission lines and two substations – is the largest Order No. 1000 decision to date.
“Transmission rates are the fastest growing portion of consumers’ electricity bills, and competition has proven to keep transmission construction costs down while also bringing innovative technical and commercial solutions to electric transmission challenges. Order 1000 is a carefully developed, bipartisan rule that enjoys widespread support, and the competitive processes contained in Order 1000 are working for consumers,” Thessen says.
Looking ahead, LS Power is planning to submit an application to the New York Public Service Commission in the second half of 2019. Only after a full review and authorization by the Commission, including numerous opportunities for additional public participation, would LS Power be authorized to start construction – targeted for late 2020. Ultimately, the rebuilt transmission lines are expected to be energized as part of the New York electrical system by the end of 2023.
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