Smart Path Connect is a transformative transmission project strengthening New York’s electric grid. Through the upgrade of approximately 100 miles of transmission infrastructure—including both new and enhanced substations—Smart Path Connect creates a continuous 345 kV corridor across northern and central New York. The modernized system improves reliability, reduces grid congestion, and expands access to clean energy resources. A collaboration between the New York Power Authority and National Grid, Smart Path Connect helps deliver affordable, reliable, and sustainable electricity to communities and businesses across New York State.
Project Benefits:
- Unlocks approximately 1,000 megawatts (MW) of additional generation capacity Improves asset condition
- Increases transmission system resilience to severe weather events
- Projected to avoid nearly one million tons of CO₂ annually and cut NOx emissions by approximately 167 tons per year.
- Manages long-term energy costs by reducing transmission congestion, resulting in approximately $438 million in annual savings
- Leverages advanced transmission technologies to give grid operators greater visibility into system performance.
- Provides the infrastructure needed to meet increasing energy demand across the state.
- Supports New York’s economic future making the state more attractive to renewable energy developers and business investment.
Smart Path Connect is critical to realizing the full potential of renewable energy in the Northern New York area and meeting the New York Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA) targets.
The project complements and expands upon both NYPA’s Smart Path which was completed in June 2023, and the Central East Energy Connect transmission upgrade project which NYPA undertook with LS Power Grid New York in the Mohawk Valley and Capital Region. View map.
With the addition of the Smart Path Connect, these investments will establish a continuous, more resilient 345 kilovolt (kV) transmission path that greatly expands the deliverability of renewable power from northern and central regions to high demand areas across the state. The transmission work being undertaken by NYPA is also consistent with the Power Authority’s new VISION2030 Strategic Plan which is focused on helping New York meet its clean energy goal of having a zero-carbon emission energy system by 2040.
The Accelerated Renewable Energy Growth and Community Benefit Act signed into law by Governor Andrew M. Cuomo on April 3, 2020, provides for the “timely and cost-effective construction of new, expanded and upgraded distribution... to achieve clean energy and environmental targets established in the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act.” The Act directs the Public Service Commission (PSC) to identify projects for which "there is a need to proceed expeditiously to promote the State's public policy goals."
On July 2, 2020, NYPA submitted a petition to the PSC for the development of the Smart Path Connect (formerly the Northern New York Priority Transmission Project) which was approved by an order dated October 15, 2020. The Project is a multi-faceted project that includes completion of the second phase of NYPA’s 86-mile Smart Path Moses-Adirondack rebuild, rebuilding approximately 45 miles of transmission eastward from Massena to the Town of Clinton, known as the Northern Alignment, and rebuilding approximately 55 miles of transmission southward from Croghan to Marcy, known as the Southern Alignment, as well as rebuilding and expanding several substations along the impacted transmission corridor. The work falls almost exclusively within existing transmission rights-of-way.
Q. What is Smart Path Connect?
A. Smart Path Connect is a major transmission infrastructure project led by the New York Power Authority (NYPA) and National Grid to modernize and expand New York State's electric grid. The project rebuilt approximately 100 miles of transmission lines within New York State were rebuilt and upgraded or rebuilt several substations in order to enable the flow of an additional 1,000 megawatts of clean, renewable energy. That is enough to power approximately 750,000 homes throughout New York State.
Q. Why was Smart Path Connect needed?
A. Smart Path Connect is critical to realizing the full potential of renewable energy in the Northern New York area. The transmission project complements and expands upon Smart Path and the Central East Energy Connect transmission upgrade in the Mohawk Valley and Capital Region. Smart Path Connect will increase capacity and help move power when and where it is needed.
Q. How does Smart Path Connect improve grid reliability?
A. The project creates additional pathways for electricity to flow across the state, reducing the risk of outages caused by increased demand, severe weather events, or transmission bottlenecks.
Q. What is the project breakdown of the NYPA and National Grid collaboration?
A. NYPA built and energized three new substations, as well as 45 miles of transmission lines between Clinton and Massena in the North Country. NYPA’s new digital substations include Haverstock in Massena, Willis Annex in Chateaugay, and Adirondack in Croghan. National Grid completed construction of the project’s southern alignment, a 55-mile segment between the towns of Croghan and Marcy, including constructing a new substation, Austin Road in the Lewis County town of Glenfield.
Q. Are these two transmission lines connected?
A. Yes. The two Smart Path Connect segments are linked by NYPA’s 78-mile Smart Path transmission project—the mid-2023 reconstruction of the Moses to Adirondack transmission lines. The transmission project also complements and expands upon the Central East Energy Connect transmission upgrade in the Mohawk Valley and Capital Region. All together, they form nearly 200 uninterrupted miles of upgraded 345kv transmission between Clinton and Oneida counties.
Q. What is the New York Independent System Operator’s (NYISO) role in Smart Path Connect?
A. NYISO serves as grid operator and transmission planning authority for the statewide network of which Smart Path Connect is now a vital part. NYISO works to identify existing and potential congestion within the grid to balance supply and demand and maintain reliability.
Q. How was grid capacity improved?
A. By rebuilding and modernizing transmission lines, the project unlocks approximately 1,000 MW (megawatts), enough to power 750,000 homes. Smart Path Connect enables the release of trapped renewable generation in Upstate New York—such as hydropower, wind, and solar—and provides a clear pathway for it to flow where and when it is needed. One example of available energy is the clean, low-cost hydropower from NYPA’s St. Lawrence-FDR Power Project in Massena.
Q. How does the project help during severe weather?
A. Smart Path Connect improves grid reliability by creating new transmission pathways that can help maintain system reliability during high winds, ice storms, and other extreme weather events.
Q. What does upgrading from 230 kV to 345 kV accomplish?
A. The higher-voltage transmission system allows significantly more electricity to be moved across the grid, helping accommodate growing energy demand and increasing renewable energy generation.
Q. How are the digital substations more effective?
A. The project incorporates advanced digital substation technologies that provide greater operational visibility, real-time monitoring, and more efficient asset management. Included is IEC 61850, the global standard for digital substation communication and utility automation. IEC 61850 enables faster communication between equipment, enhanced monitoring capabilities, and improved system performance.
Q. Can Smart Path Connect technologies be expanded elsewhere?
A. Yes. The project was designed with scalability in mind and serves as a model for future transmission modernization efforts in New York, the U.S., and the world.
Q. Does Smart Path Connect create new renewable energy generation?
A. No. The project does not generate electricity itself. It provides the transmission infrastructure needed to move renewable energy to New York State homes and businesses more efficiently.
Q. Are environmental benefits expected?
A. Yes. NYPA estimates the project will avoid nearly 1 million tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions annually and reduce nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions by approximately 167 tons per year. The upgrades advance New York's Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act by helping reach a zero-carbon emission energy system by 2040.
Q. What economic benefits does Smart Path Connect provide?
A. Smart Path Connect is part of New York State’s largest buildout of transmission lines in nearly half a century. Projects like this support economic development across New York State. by improving access to reliable electricity, enabling renewable energy projects, reducing congestion costs, and providing jobs associated with construction and operations.
Q. Will the operation of Smart Path Connect also save money?
A. While electric rates are influenced by many factors, reducing congestion is expected to help manage long-term energy costs. NYPA estimates the operation of Smart Path Connect will save approximately $438 million annually by reducing transmission congestion. As the largest state public power organization in the nation, NYPA expects congestion savings to be reflected in costs for its customers, including municipalities, businesses, and other public power customers across New York State.
Q. How does Smart Path Connect fit into New York's energy future?
A. The project creates the infrastructure needed to accommodate growing electricity demand, support additional renewable energy generation, and strengthen grid reliability for decades to come. Also, by demonstrating successful grid modernization and clean energy integration, Smart Path Connect helps position New York to compete for future federal funding and investment opportunities.
Q. Why should New Yorkers care about the Smart Path Connect transmission project?
A. Smart Path Connect transmission project reduces grid congestion, helping ensure that New Yorkers have access to reliable power. It also lays the foundation for future economic growth, inviting private investment throughout the state and enabling the development of similar energy projects.
Q. Why is transmission a major issue nationwide?
A. The demand for electricity is growing across the U.S. and grid operators are finding it increasingly more difficult to move electricity efficiently from where it's produced to where it's needed. Expanding and modernizing the nation’s electric grid is necessary in order to meet demand and ensure system reliably. Smart Path Connect is one of New York’s solutions to this problem and serves as a model for future projects in New York State and across the nation.
Updated Q & A from APPA Newsletter Interview w Rosaria Obazee, Dec. 2025
Q. When did NYPA and National Grid first begin making plans to develop Smart Path Connect?
Under the Accelerated Renewable Energy Growth and Community Benefit Act (“Act”), the New York State Legislature determined that Priority Transmission Projects (PTPs) must be advanced expeditiously to meet the renewable energy and greenhouse gas reduction mandates of the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (“CLCPA”). The Act identified the New York Power Authority (NYPA)—given its financial stability, access to capital, and extensive technical and operational experience—as the entity best positioned to develop these PTPs, either independently or with partners.
In October 2020, the New York State Public Service Commission designated the Northern New York Project (now the Smart Path Connect Project) as a PTP and referred it to NYPA for development. Following a public solicitation, NYPA selected National Grid as its co-participant in March 2021.
Q. What are Smart Path Connect’s goals in terms of reliability and service improvements, and how will the development of these new transmission lines meet these goals?
The project is essential to unlocking the full renewable energy potential of Northern New York. NYISO data shows wind curtailments have grown steadily since 2010, with 70 GWh curtailed in 2019 alone due to transmission constraints. Additionally, significant new renewable resources in the NYISO interconnection queue could not be delivered downstate without major upgrades to the Northern New York transmission system.
Q. How does Smart Path Connect built atop the infrastructure development put in place with the 2023 completion of Smart Path?
The Project ties into the backbone of the New York Control Area (NYCA) transmission network and delivers substantial reliability benefits by replacing aging infrastructure along the Moses–Adirondack–Porter and Moses–Willis–Patnode/Ryan corridors. It complements other statewide transmission upgrades and establishes a continuous 345-kV path capable of delivering up to an additional 1,000 MW of renewable power from Northern New York to major load centers. Additional benefits include reduced curtailment, congestion relief, statewide energy cost savings, improved capacity market performance, and lower emissions.
Q. What were the greatest challenges – from both a regulatory and physical infrastructure standpoint – that NYPA has needed to overcome to advance the Smart Path Connect project?
Change in wet land regulations by the Army Corp of Engineers that necessitated the change in configuration from a breaker and half to double breaker, double bus configuration.
NYISO/FERC/DEC/DPS Orders including:
ISO Outage recalls
FERC Reroute away from Dam
slurry construction protocols
Design Changes:
New substation design Standards (incl 61850)
Change Ice criteria
Build new Marcy Bay
Move Willis (RE) and Build New Adirondak Substations
Supply Chain and Vendor Issues which increased procurement lead time. These were primarily caused by:
Covid 19 Pandemic Impact
Middle East War.
Q. How does Smart Path Connect fit within the VISION2030 Strategic Plan?
Decarbonization is a key part of NYPA’s VISION2030 Strategic plan, and the Smart Path Connect project directly supports statewide decarbonization efforts by enabling increased interconnection of new solar, onshore wind, and energy storage resources.
Q. What benefits do you see Smart Path Connect providing New Yorkers, whether in the immediate or longer term?
The project delivers substantial reliability benefits by replacing aging infrastructure.
It complements other statewide transmission upgrades and establishes a continuous 345-kV path capable of delivering up to an additional 1,000 MW of renewable power from Northern New York to major load centers.
Additional benefits include reduced curtailment, congestion relief, statewide energy cost savings, improved capacity market performance, and lower emissions.
NYPA and National Grid hosted a series of public meetings or webinar events for soliciting community input on the Project.
The Public Meeting Webinars (held in April 2021) were thirty-minute presentations, followed by a Q&A session. Participants had the opportunity to view preliminary designs, ask questions and offer comments.
The webinars were recorded and will be posted to this webpage at a later date.
Presentations focusing on the Northern Alignment from Massena to Clinton were hosted on Tuesday, April 6 at 2 pm, and Thursday, April 8 at 6 pm.
Presentations focusing on the Southern Alignment from Croghan to Marcy were hosted on Thursday, April 8 at 2 pm, and Tuesday, April 13 at 6 pm.
November 21, 2023: Governor Hochul announced progress on the Smart Path Connect project
December 9, 2022: Governor Hochul Announces Start of Construction on Smart Path Connect Transmission Line
August 11, 2022: Governor Hochul Announces Approval of Major Upstate Transmission Line
March 30, 2021:New York Power Authority Board of Trustees Approves Northern New York Priority Transmission Project Plan
December 9, 2020: NYPA Approves New Strategic Plan to Provide Clean Energy Roadmap for Next Decade
October 30, 2020: NYPA Invites Interested Parties to Propose Co-Participant Roles for the Development of the Northern New York Priority Transmission Project
October 15, 2020: First Transmission Project Moves Forward Under Accelerated Renewable Energy Growth and Community Benefit Act
NYPA and National Grid will pursue certification and regulatory review through the New York Public Service Commission’s Article VII Process. The Article VII process requires a full environmental review of any major transmission facility’s siting, design, construction, and operation in New York State.
The project will comply with all applicable state and federal laws. Certificates and permits will be sought from the appropriate agencies including the New York State Public Service Commission and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers with coordination with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, Department of Agriculture and Markets and the NYS Parks Recreation and Historic Preservation Office.
March 23, 2026 New York Power Authority Construction Update
Substation Two Week Look Ahead
Week Ending 3/29/2025
Haverstock (200 Fregoe Road, Massena NY):
* Start energization efforts on MA2 (new HA1)
* Prepare for energization efforts of MW1 in May
* Complete fiber splice MA2 (New HA1) at Haverstock substations
* Snow Removal
Adirondack (7802 Effley Falls Road, Croghan NY):
* Start energization efforts on MA2 (new HA1)
* Start energization efforts on Line 13 (new Line 12)
* Complete fiber splice MA2 (New HA1) at Adirondack substations
* Snow Removal
Willis 345/230kV (895 County Route 33, Chateaugay NY):
* Crew offsite
Marcy (Glass Factory Road, Utica NY):
* Test and Commissioning of Line 12
Patnode (100 Patnode Road, Churubusco, NY):
* Crew offsite
Ryan (500 Ryan Road, Churubusco, NY):
* Crew offsite
Massena (524 County Road 37, Massena, NY):
* MMS2 Relay Replacement & Wave Trap Removal
* MMS2 Reactor Modification
Week Ending 4/5/2025:
Haverstock (200 Fregoe Road, Massena NY):
* Prepare for energization efforts of MW1 in May
* Start Fiber Splicing Efforts on MH1
Adirondack (7802 Effley Falls Road, Croghan NY):
* Remobilize to start Energization of Adirondack MA2 (HA1) terminal
* Remobilize to start Fiber Splicing Efforts on MA2 (HA1)
Willis 345/230kV (895 County Route 33, Chateaugay NY):
* Start ATS replacement efforts on spare transformer
Marcy (Glass Factory Road, Utica NY):
* Continuing Test and Commissioning of Line 12
Patnode (100 Patnode Road, Churubusco, NY):
* Crew offsite
Ryan (500 Ryan Road, Churubusco, NY):
* Start WRY2 relay replacements
Massena (524 County Road 37, Massena, NY):
* Start demobilization efforts
March 23, 2026 New York Power Authority Construction Update
Transmission Line Two Week Look Ahead
Week Ending 3/29/2026:
Haverstock Substation to Adirondack Substation Transmission Lines
* Cut in of line MA2 at Haverstock substations
* Cut in of line 13 (New Line 12) & MA2 at Adirondack substation
* MH1 wire pulls at Haverstock
* Complete fiber splice MA2 (New HA1) at both Haverstock and Adirondack substations
* Snow Removal
Haverstock Substation to Willis Substation
Willis to Ryan to Patnode Substation
* Crews Offsite
Week Ending 4/5/2026:
Haverstock Substation to Adirondack Substation Transmission Lines
* Snow Removal
* Fiber splice MH1
Haverstock Substation to Willis Substation
* Snow Removal as necessary
* Wreck out activity on HW1 line
* Prepare for HW1 energization window in May
Willis to Ryan to Patnode Substation
* Crews Offsite
Jeff Farrell
Real Estate Administrator
Phone: 315-764-6837
Karen White
Manager, Community Relations
New York Power Authority
Phone: 315-764-6863
Or call: 866-697-8758
For Landowner consultations along the Southern Alignment, please contact:
Amy Rood
Stakeholder Relations
nationalgrid
Phone: 315-401-0065