Benefits and Need

In response to a public policy need identified by the New York State Independent System Operator, NextEra Energy Transmission New York is planning to develop the Empire State Line; a new 20-mile, 345 kV electric power line in Niagara and Erie counties that will enable greater utilization of renewable energy from the Niagara hydroelectric facility and electricity imports from Ontario.

Benefits for the Local Community

The Empire State Line will boost the local economy by creating jobs and generating additional revenue for Niagara and Erie counties.

  • Once operational, the Empire State Line is estimated to provide local tax revenue of approximately $4 million every year to support schools, infrastructure, and other vital services. The project will pay full taxes, and NextEra Energy Transmission New York will not seek tax incentives or PILOTs.
  • During the approximately one year it will take to build the line, this approximately $180 million project will employ between 50 and 100 local union workers.

Appropriate Design

This line is expected to improve electric reliability across the New York State electric grid and support New York’s goal of maximizing the flow of energy from renewable resources in the region. Furthermore, the line, which will be capable of transmitting approximately 3,700 MW of renewable energy, is expected to save New York customers money by making the grid more efficient.

  • The Empire State Line will be located primarily in existing utility rights-of-way (approximately 98%) to minimize any disturbance to landowners and will utilize a pole design that will enable the new poles to better blend in with existing infrastructure.
  • Approximately 7.4 MM tons of carbon emissions reduction.
  • Permitting and approval for the Empire State Line are subject to the New York State Public Service Commission’s Article VII process.

An Experienced Partner

NextEra Energy Transmission New York (NEETNY) understands what it takes to responsibly develop large energy transmission projects like the Empire State Line. The company has technical experience in engineering, constructing, and operating transmission systems with a reputation for excellence. Our parent company is one of the largest clean energy companies, which provides significant leverage with suppliers and often translates into enhanced technical resources as well as reduced costs. As part of an organization with approximately 14,700 employees, NEETNY is able to draw upon a deep reservoir of talented and committed personnel from across the organization as well as develop its own local personnel.  Since 2003, NextEra Energy has completed 138 major capital projects, which include wind, solar, and transmission facilities.

  • NextEra Energy Transmission (NEET) and its subsidiaries include in-service transmission facilities in Texas and New Hampshire, projects in development in Ontario and California, and numerous other projects in earlier stages of development throughout the United States. The Texas, Ontario, and California projects were won pursuant to competitive processes in those jurisdictions.
  • The New York State Public Service Commission (PSC), the regulator of energy in New York, noted that increased dispatch of these renewable and economic resources could produce significant benefits to the state in terms of reduced air emission and energy costs. The PSC determined that significant environmental, economic, and reliability benefits could be achieved by relieving the transmission congestion identified in western New York, including access to increased output from the New York Power Authority (NYPA) Niagara hydroelectric facility, and system reliability benefits, specifically, increased operational flexibility, efficiency, and avoiding the need to maintain generation that would otherwise be retired.
  • To learn more about NextEra Energy Transmission New York, visit: www.neetny.com