The Southern Tier Area Reliability (STAR) West Project includes several components which will help New York State meet the clean energy goals under the CLCPA. The STAR West Project includes a rebuild of Line 962 which is approximately 35 miles from Hillside substation to South Owego substation. The Project includes expanding NYSEG’s existing Watercure substation in the Town of Elmira. The project work also requires minor upgrades of two existing substations (South Owego and Chemung) and two existing switching stations (Stagecoach and North Waverly). Beyond aging infrastructure, resiliency considerations also influenced the design, which includes the complete rebuild of the existing Lounsberry 115/12.5 kV substation to a new location outside of established FEMA flood zones to mitigate future flood risk exposure.

NYSEG's overall CLCPA Program is a solution that addresses reliability and resiliency needs while also providing a means of integrating increased renewable energy resources for delivery to New York customers. It would satisfy several previously identified Bulk Electric System (BES) reliability needs detailed in prior studies, including the 2018 North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) BES Assessment and its subsequent updates. The Program's system reinforcements are designed to improve a wide area of regional reliability in line with NYSEG's mission to provide its customers with reliable energy and a commitment to the well-being of our communities.

Regional Benefits

• The overall NYSEG CLCPA Program will remove bottlenecks on the local transmission system and allow large amounts of existing and projected future renewable generation facilities to connect to the power grid, thus helping New York State meet its greenhouse gas emission reduction goals.
• The Program, as well as the renewable generation developments that it would enable, will generate numerous ancillary economic benefits to our community partners during construction.
• The most direct infusion to the local economy would come from employment opportunities associated with Program construction and future renewable generation. Worker income would be spent in local communities on consumer goods and services, such as housing, healthcare, and food, while property taxes would directly support the communities in which the Program and future renewable generation facilities are located.
• The upgrades will improve the reliability and resiliency of the entire transmission system.

NYSEG is actively developing the Project to avoid and minimize negative impacts to the community and the environment. Early Project planning efforts have included the completion of resource assessments to clarify important planning considerations such as streams and wetlands; soil characteristics; cultural resources; and sensitive plant and animal species. Active regulatory coordination, reviews and permitting efforts are under way for initial phases of the Project. NYSEG will seek reviews, consultations and/or permits from the following federal and state administrative agencies for the Project:

• NYS Public Service Commission
• U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
• Federal Aviation Administration
• NYS Department of Environmental Conservation
• NYS Department of Transportation
• Other permits as may be necessary