The New York Power Authority and National Grid NY recently began construction on a project to rebuild and strengthen approximately 100 miles of transmission lines in New York State’s North Country and Mohawk Valley.
Smart Path Connect is a multi-faceted project that includes rebuilding approximately 45 miles of transmission east from Massena to the Town of Clinton, which will be led by NYPA, and rebuilding approximately 55 miles of transmission south from Croghan to Marcy which will be led by National Grid NY. The work will involve construction of several new substations as well as refurbishment of several existing substations.
The two segments will be connected by Smart Path, a rebuild of the Moses to Adirondack transmission lines that began in 2020 and is slated to conclude next year.
When completed in 2025, Smart Path Connect and Smart Path will form a continuous 345-kilovolt (kV) transmission line between Clinton and Oneida Counties, reinforcing the state grid and connecting renewable energy to the grid, including power from new and proposed renewable energy sources.
“As we head into the winter months, I am encouraged to see the progress New York is making on rebuilding our integral transmission lines, making them more resilient to increasingly more severe winter storms like the one we just experienced in Buffalo,” Justin Driscoll, interim president and CEO of NYPA, said in a statement.
“The significant transmission system upgrades we are making today are important to our climate action goals of combating the effects of global warming and strengthening New York's economy by creating clean energy jobs” Driscoll said, adding, “NYPA's transmission development focus is a foundational part of our NYPA Vision 2030 strategic plan.”
The New York State Public Service Commission granted NYPA a Certificate of Environmental Compatibility and Public Need for the Smart Path Connect project in August and approved the Environmental Management and Construction Plan for the first segment of the project in September.
