A Model of Continuous Improvements

NYPA’s transmission team is executing in a long-term plan for continuous equipment and technology improvements that will increase capacity, add versatility, reduce outages, and provide deep, real-time information about system operations.  

Called the Life Extension and Modernization project (LEM), the 12-year, $726 million project will upgrade transmission lines in Northern, Western and Central New York and related facilities such as switchyards and substations. Some of the upgrades will modernize transmission assets that date back to the 1950s and 1960s when NYPA built its major hydroelectric plants on the St. Lawrence and Niagara rivers. The LEM program, begun in 2013 and extending to 2025, is one of the key elements of the New York Energy Highway Blueprint, a multifaceted initiative introduced by Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo to modernize the state’s electric power system. It will result in a truly smart grid, one which maximizes efficiency and resilience.