Transmission line crews have been in Marcy working on a project to bring clean energy to New York.
New York is on the path to achieving lower emission electricity. Transmission Crews are upgrading transmission lines that are delivering clean energy to the Mohawk Valley all the way to the Capitol Region. This is a $615 million project that replaces existing lines and wooden poles with new steel monopoles. LS Power Grid NY Project Manager Jacob Diermann explains why a helicopter is used to fly workers into position to complete the work.
"What they’re doing right now is they are removing the existing pulley, or the block up in the air. They’re using winches to kind of lift it up in the air, to lift the wires up in the air, then they’re installing new hardware up there to basically secure the wires to the structure."
The manner in which the work is being done isn’t the only thing that makes this project interesting. NY Power Authority Transmission Line Supervisor Jim Natale says the materials being used also help with efficiency.
"We’re now using new insulators, and they’re toughened glass insulators. So they’re actually made out of glass. They’re stronger, they’re better, they’re easier to see if there’s a fault in them, and that’s the new design of the industry."
The new insulator design also has a purpose that makes it superior to the old technology.
"Ultimately they can flow more amperage to the circuits and be able to allow more power to flow to where it’s needed in the State."
The new monopoles are replacing infrastructure that’s over 60 years old, and the new design will allow for more reliability when it’s needed the most.
"These transmission poles and structures have been designed for extreme weather events. As you know throughout New York State in the last several years we’ve had some pretty extreme weather events. These structures are built to withstand over 100 mile per hour winds and an inch and a half of ice load, so it will definitely increase the reliability for the customers of New York State."
The work is around 50% complete, and the project is slated to be finished in October of 2023.