More reliable service expected with new transmission

NEW YORK STATE - Three years after first filing an application, New York State Electric & Gas is set to begin work on its $62.5 million Ithaca Transmission Project.

Designed to lessen dependency on the AES Cayuga coal-fired generating plant in the Town of Lansing on high electricity-demand days, the project includes the construction of a 345-kilovolt to 115-kilovolt substation in the Town of Lapeer, Cortland County, and 15 miles of power lines between it and the Etna Substation in the Town of Dryden.

About $1.1 million will be spent upgrading the Etna facility, located off Pinckney Road, in order to accommodate the connection of a new 115-kilovolt transmission line, according to the project application. It will primarily involve installing equipment and components, such as new breaker panels and switches, and will be done within the existing substation fence line.

The 115-kilovolt line that currently runs to the substation will also be rebuilt along new H-frame towers, which will look similar to the structures that are already standing. Most of the work will be done along existing rights-of-way, although some additional vegetation clearing may take place.

The Rochester-based company's application to the Public Service Commission, filed in October 2006, received no objections.

Bob Pass, NYSEG's regional manager of community outreach and development, said surveying and marking of rights-of-way will begin soon, followed by vegetative clearing. Construction is expected to start in the fall and continue until next spring, with facilities in service by mid-2010.

"This project will reinforce our Ithaca-area electricity delivery system," added Keith Lorenzetti, NYSEG's director of regional operations. "By building new facilities and upgrading existing ones, we can continue to provide the reliable electricity service that our customers expect and deserve."