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Transmission project gets approval, expected to support hundreds of jobs in North Country

Posted 2/7/20

The New York State Public Service Commission approved the first phase of the New York Power Authority’s (NYPA) plan to rebuild its 86-mile long Moses-Adirondack 1 and 2 transmission lines that run …

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Transmission project gets approval, expected to support hundreds of jobs in North Country

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The New York State Public Service Commission approved the first phase of the New York Power Authority’s (NYPA) plan to rebuild its 86-mile long Moses-Adirondack 1 and 2 transmission lines that run from St. Lawrence County to Lewis County. There will also be upgrades to its Moses switchyard in the Town of Massena, St. Lawrence County and the Adirondack substation in Croghan.

The massive project is expected to support hundreds of jobs.

The transmission line, known as the Moses-Adirondack Smart Path Reliability Project, is designed to provide a more reliable electric system in upstate New York.

The Moses-Adirondack line, portions of which were constructed in 1942, starts in the Town of Massena and carries electricity from the St. Lawrence-FDR Power Project to the Adirondack substation in the Town of Croghan. These North Country transmission lines 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. During construction, the $484 million project is expected to support hundreds of jobs.

The Smart Path project will be built in two phases. The approval allows NYPA to begin construction of the first phase this spring, replacing 78 miles of the existing wooden structures and replacing them with steel monopoles. The new poles require significantly less space than the wooden poles. And the distance between poles is extended, further lessening the use of space on the right-of-way and greatly reducing the number of poles on the landscape. The rebuilt lines will be taller but stronger, less susceptible to failure and able to better withstand inclement weather, such as ice storms, announcement says.

The second phase will involve rebuilding eight miles of existing steel structures coming out of the Robert-Moses Switchyard in the Town of Massena and rebuilding 0.4 miles of steel structures into the Adirondack substation with steel monopoles, and constructing a new 345 kV switchyard at the Robert Moses switchyard and the Adirondack substation. In its entirety, the Smart Path Reliability Project traverses through 12 towns from north to south: Massena, Louisville, Norfolk, Madrid, Potsdam, Canton, Russell, Hermon, Edwards and Pitcarin in St. Lawrence County, and Diana and Croghan in Lewis County.

During construction, electrical customers will continue to receive service because the electric distribution systems will receive service from other transmission lines. The rebuilt transmission lines for the first phase are expected to be completed in 2023.

This project is necessary to rebuild facilities that are well past their serviceable lifetime to make them more resilient and reduce maintenance costs. The rebuilt transmission lines are needed to deliver electricity, including carbon-free hydroelectric power, from Northern New York to the rest of the State; to re-energize the bulk electric system as a component of the New York Independent System Operator’s System Restoration Plan in the event of a future widespread outage; and to provide increased capacity for future expansion to meet New York’s clean energy targets.

“Governor Cuomo has set New York on course to achieving 70 percent of its electricity from renewable sources by 2030, and zero greenhouse gas emissions from the electricity sector by 2040,” said Commission Chair John B. Rhodes. “Projects such as the Smart Path project enhance and improve transmission across the State and are absolutely vital to make the renewable energy generated upstate accessible for the entire State.”