Construction has begun on a US$854 million project to upgrade energy transmission along a 93-mile 345-kV line in the Mohawk Valley and Capital Region. The Marcy to New Scotland Transmission Upgrade Project is designed to increase transmission capacity and help deliver more renewable energy to higher demand areas across the state.
The project will stimulate the local and regional economies by creating and supporting hundreds of clean energy construction jobs. The project, managed jointly by LS Power Grid New York and the New York Power Authority (NYPA), puts New York on track to meet its goals under the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, which includes a zero-emissions electricity sector by 2040, 70% renewable energy generation by 2030, and economy-wide carbon neutrality.
"A clean and reliable transmission infrastructure is critical to combating climate change and achieving New York's nation-leading clean energy goals," Cuomo said. "The start of construction on this important project marks a major milestone in our efforts to construct a new energy superhighway to move energy across the state more efficiently, while also creating new jobs and opportunities for New Yorkers that will help to reinvigorate our local and statewide economies."
This project upgraded 93 miles of transmission lines and included construction of two new substations between the NYPA's central transmission hub in Marcy in Oneida County and New Scotland in Albany County. The project uses existing electric transmission corridors and replaces aging and outdated transmission towers with the latest technologies to increase energy efficiency. The New York State Public Service Commission approved a Certificate of Environmental Compatibility and Public Need for the project at its Jan. 21 meeting.
The governor first unveiled the proposal in his 2021 State of the State, as part of a package of transmission projects across the state that will form New York's Green Energy Superhighway — 250 miles of planned investments that will create opportunities to maximize the use of renewable energy for parts of the state that rely heavily on fossil fuel plants.
Gil C. Quiniones, NYPA president and CEO, said: "The NYPA is excited to bring its transmission expertise to bear on the rebuild of this critical transmission artery. As we continue to generate more clean energy, we need a modern, flexible Green Energy Superhighway to deliver it where it needs to go. We share the governor's urgency on the need to move these transmission projects forward expeditiously for the welfare of our environment, our energy security, and our economy."
The transmission upgrade project builds on New York's ramp-up of clean energy including more than US$4 billion invested in 91 large-scale renewable projects across the state, the creation of more than 150,000 jobs in New York's clean energy sector, a commitment to develop 9000 MW of offshore wind by 2035, and 1800% growth in the distributed solar sector since 2011.
