NY starts construction of new $180 million transmission line in eastern Niagara, Erie counties

Courtesy of Governor’s Office: This shows the map for a new 20-mile transmission line close to Orleans and Genesee counties. The line increases capacity for delivering more hydroelectric power in Western New York.

Press Release, Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s Office

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo has announced construction has started on the Empire State Line, a $180 million project to upgrade the energy transmission system serving Western New York with a new 345-kilovolt transmission line across 20 miles in Erie County and Niagara County.

The project is designed to increase transmission capacity and help deliver more renewable hydroelectric power throughout Western New York. The project will stimulate the local and regional economies by creating and supporting clean-energy construction jobs.

The Empire State Line will run from the Town of Royalton in Niagara County through the towns of Alden, Newstead, Lancaster, and Elma in Erie County. It will include a new 345-kV switchyard, the Dysinger Switchyard, in Niagara County; and a second, new switchyard, the East Stolle Switchyard, in Erie County. The project will relieve transmission congestion in Western New York and will allow for the integration of more renewable energy into the State’s electric grid.

Developed by NextEra Energy Transmission New York, Inc. this project 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 percent renewable energy generation by 2030, and economy-wide carbon neutrality.

“Building a clean, reliable transmission system for New York is a critically important part of combatting climate change and meeting our nation-leading clean energy goals,” Governor Cuomo said. “The Empire State Line is an integral part of a new energy superhighway being built to move clean 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.”

The New York State Public Service Commission approved a Certificate of Environmental Compatibility and Public Need for the project at its January 21, 2021 meeting. Governor Cuomo unveiled the proposal as part of his plan to reimagine, rebuild, and renew New York in his 2021 State of the State, including 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. The Empire State Line is the final project within the 250 miles to commence construction and is expected to be complete and in service by June 2022.

The line will be carried by steel monopole structures, each 115 feet high, which are 40 feet higher on average and 15 feet narrower than traditional H-frame structures that carry long-distance electricity lines. Empire State Line construction activity is expected to employ between 120-150 workers, many sourced from local labor organizations.

The transmission upgrade project also builds on New York’s unprecedented ramp-up of clean energy including over $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 9,000 megawatts of offshore wind by 2035; and 1,800 percent growth in the distributed solar sector since 2011.