SULLIVAN COUNTY — New York Power Authority (NYPA) has begun survey work on the Marcy South Transmission Line right-of-way in support of Clean Path New York. 

Clean Path New York looks to bring the county and New York State as a whole closer to a healthier future climate.

The $11 billion project is composed of the development of a 175-mile underground transmission line and over 20 New York State wind and solar generation projects. The contracts for the project were finalized in 2021. 

Officials said that the project will actively work with communities throughout the process to ensure that everyone’s voice is heard and no one’s toes are stepped on.

Jobs in distressed communities, identified by the 2020 census, will rise as part of the project’s initiative to deliver generated renewable energy underground through the existing rights-of-way. 

In Sullivan County, the two conduit lines will be running underground in the Marcy South right-of-way. 

Forty percent of the community benefits must be used on these distressed communities. Those communities in Sullivan County are parts of Kiamesha Lake, Loch Sheldrake, Mongaup Valley, Mountain Dale, South Fallsburg, the Village of Liberty, and the Village of Monticello. 

This month, the NYPA began conducting a “geotechnical exploration”, which includes test borings and test pits within the NYPA rights-of-way. 

According to Kim Fees, the Eastern Region Real Estate Regional Administrator for NYPA, “Test borings are to be drilled at proposed trenchless crossings and test pits are to be excavated along proposed open cut and backfill installation.”

Fees said that the test borings have a diameter of about 10 inches and will extend to depths of 30 to 150 feet below the surface. She said that the test pits are approximately 2 feet wide by 5 to 7 feet long and will extend to depths of 5 to 7 feet below the surface of the ground. 

“Test borings will be backfilled with cementitious-bentonite grout mixed with soil cuttings generated during test borings,” she said. 

“Test pits will generally be backfilled with excavated soils placed and compacted in layers.”

Fees stated that each test boring drilling and backfilling will take between a half day and 2 days to complete, depending on the test boring depth. 

Each test pit will take about half a day to excavate and backfill. NYPA expects this work to conclude by the end of August. 

There are a number of benefits to this project including, but not limited to, over 8,000 new jobs created and over $4 billion of in-state economic development. 

According to the initial proposal for Clean Path, the project will “deliver 7.5 million megawatt hours of renewable energy annually to the city.”

According to Clean Path, the project will reduce fossil fuel-fired generation by 22 percent per year across the state. That will significantly reduce air pollutants that are emitted from electric generation sources. 

In addition, the new transmission line will reduce congestion on the bulk power system and its ability to generate clean energy is cost-free. 

Construction on the transmission line itself is projected to begin in Fall 2024, once all the proper permits and certificates are approved. 

Clean Path New York is expecting construction on the project to take until 2027. 

The New York Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act has set a bar for 70 percent of the state’s electricity to be generated by renewable energy by 2030.