New York Regulator Approves $850 Million Power Line to Support Clean Energy

The New York Public Service Commission approved the Marcy to New Scotland Upgrade Project, an $854 million power line starting in Oneida County and extending to Albany County to facilitate greater flow of clean energy to high-demand markets downstate, according to a Jan. 21 press release. The project would replace existing lines with new lines within about 93 miles of transmission corridors.

The initiative will expand transmission capacity and help achieve the clean energy goals under the 2019 Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, which requires New York to source 70 percent of its power from renewable energy by 2030. The project also supports the goals of the Accelerated Renewable Energy Growth and Community Benefit Act, which established the first-in-the-nation Office of Renewable Energy Permitting to expedite the siting and regulatory review of large-scale renewable energy facilities. Further, the project is expected to boost the local and regional economy by supporting employment and earnings in the construction sector. The project will be developed jointly by LS Power Grid New York Corporation and the New York Power Authority.

In October 2020, the commission adopted criteria it will apply to determine transmission projects that should be advanced expeditiously to meet the state’s renewable energy goals. As part of the move, the commission advanced the first transmission project under the renewable energy permitting law by designating NYPA’s Northern New York project as a high-priority initiative.

New York continues to progress in clean energy development with investments of more than $4 billion in 91 large-scale renewable projects across the state and 1,800 percent growth in the distributed solar sector over the last decade.