Milestone Marks Success of New York's Comprehensive Transmission Buildout Totaling Nearly 1,000 Miles of Clean Energy Transmission Projects
Stronger Transmission Lines with Smaller Footprint Bring Added Resiliency and Reliability to State's Electric System
Associated Jobs and Supported New Renewable Energy Projects Help Bolster New York's Economy
Governor Kathy Hochul today announced that the New York Power Authority's Smart Path transmission project in the North Country is two-thirds complete. Smart Path, an upgrade of 78 miles of transmission lines which span from Massena in St. Lawrence County to Croghan in Lewis County, is one of New York State's leading transmission projects designed to strengthen transmission lines against weather events and enable the reliable transmission of clean energy from northern New York into the state's electric power grid. The project will help advance New York's clean energy goals, as outlined in New York's nation-leading Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act. Construction on Smart Path upgrades began in early 2020 and are on track to be completed next year.
"By reinforcing the backbone of our energy system, New York is helping ensure a clean energy future for our children and grandchildren," Governor Hochul said. "Smart Path is a leading project in a comprehensive buildout of our transmission system across the state that will deliver clean energy to New Yorkers across the state, advance our climate goals, and supercharge our economy by creating green jobs."
In addition to the Smart Path Project, under Governor Hochul's leadership, the rebuilding of several other large transmission projects are in progress across New York State including NYPA and LS Power New York's Central East Energy Connect project which project which involves the rebuild and expansion of more than 100 miles of historically heavily congested transmission lines in the Utica/Albany corridor; New York Transco's New York Energy Solution which which involves the rebuild of approximately 54 miles of transmission lines in the Hudson Valley and NextEra Energy Transmission New York's Empire State Line Project which recently completed approximately 20 miles of transmission lines in Western New York.
Smart Path Specs
Phase one of the Smart Path project involves rebuilding approximately 78 miles of the total 86-mile transmission artery that was constructed originally by the federal government in 1942. Phase two of the Smart Path project will be completed as part of Smart Path Connect which will upgrade an additional six miles of 230kV transmission lines to 345kV voltage. The Smart Path line was the first asset acquired by the Power Authority in 1950. Running north to south through St. Lawrence and Lewis counties in the North Country, the newly rebuilt lines will connect economical, clean and renewable energy into the statewide power system, including low-cost hydropower from NYPA's St. Lawrence-Franklin D. Roosevelt Power Project as well as power from newly constructed renewable energy sources such as wind and solar.
Construction of the Smart Path project involves the replacement of the original H-frame wood poles, some of which are more than 80 years old with single steel monopoles in the existing right of way. The project has created hundreds of jobs during construction.
The rebuilt lines will be capable of transmitting up to 345 kilovolts (kV). They will be operated in the near-term at the 230 kV level until the completion of the Smart Path Connect project. This ability to increase the voltage when the demand requires it is a cost-effective way to add on more renewable power, especially from in-state renewable generation, anywhere along the transmission line, as New York continues to advance its clean energy goals.New York State's Nation-Leading Climate Plan
New York State's nation-leading climate agenda is the most aggressive climate and clean energy initiative in the nation, calling for an orderly and just transition to clean energy that creates jobs and continues fostering a green economy as New York State recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic. Enshrined into law through the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, New York is on a path to achieve its mandated goal of a zero-emission electricity sector by 2040, including 70 percent renewable energy generation by 2030, and to reach economy wide carbon neutrality. It builds on New York's unprecedented investments to ramp-up clean energy including over $35 billion in 120 large-scale renewable and transmission projects across the state, $6.8 billion to reduce buildings emissions, $1.8 billion to scale up solar, more than $1 billion for clean transportation initiatives, and over $1.6 billion in NY Green Bank commitments. Combined, these investments are supporting nearly 158,000 jobs in New York's clean energy sector in 2020, a 2,100 percent growth in the distributed solar sector since 2011 and a commitment to develop 9,000 megawatts of offshore wind by 2035. Under the Climate Act, New York will build on this progress and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 85 percent from 1990 levels by 2050, while ensuring that at least 35 percent with a goal of 40 percent of the benefits of clean energy investments are directed to disadvantaged communities, and advance progress towards the state's 2025 energy efficiency target of reducing on-site energy consumption by 185 trillion BTUs of end-use energy savings.
About NYPA
NYPA is the largest state public power organization in the nation, operating 16 generating facilities and more than 1,400 circuit-miles of transmission lines. More than 80 percent of the electricity NYPA produces is clean renewable hydropower. NYPA owns and operates approximately one third of New York's high voltage power lines. These lines transmit power from NYPA's three large hydroelectric generation facilities and independent wind power generation facilities, connecting nearly 7,000 megawatts of renewable energy to New York State's power grid. This includes connecting more than 6,300 megawatts of hydroelectric power and about 700 megawatts, or more than a third, of New York State generated wind energy to the grid. NYPA uses no state tax money or state credit. It finances its operations through the sale of bonds and revenues earned in large part through sales of electricity. For more information visit www.nypa.gov and follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Tumblr and LinkedIn.
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