NYLCVEF and Con Edison: Transmission and the Grid

By Annelise Fisher & Lily Hirschson

“There is no transition without transmission,” said Julie Tighe, president of the New York League of Conservation Voters Education Fund (NYLCVEF),  as she opened a panel discussion on the critical role of transmission and grid infrastructure in shaping New York’s clean energy future.

The event, presented by NYLCVEF and Con Edison, included energy leaders from across the state who together highlighted the overarching importance of transmission, the key stakeholders involved, as well as the process, barriers, and critical next steps for New York State.

Tighe, who moderated the program, was joined by Stuart Nachmias, President and CEO at Con Edison Transmission; Jessica Waldorf, Chief of Staff and Director of Policy Implementation at the Department of Public Service (DPS); John Bernecker, Director of Transmission Center of Excellence at NYSERDA; and Zach Smith, Senior Vice President System & Resource Planning at the New York Independent System Operator (NYISO). 

In providing an overview, Nachmias began by talking about how surging electricity demand – due to the electrification of transportation and buildings and expanding industries such as chip manufacturing – places the grid in dire need of robust transmission infrastructure and planning efforts. Moreover, he added, New York’s uniquely strong clean energy resources, including offshore and onshore wind projects, solar, and imported hydropower from Canada, require strategic transmission lines to distribute this energy. 

Waldorf and Bernecker both continued to illustrate this need, while also highlighting the importance of local, small-scale transmission projects, and of maximizing stakeholder benefits and the multi-faceted value of wider-scale transmission infrastructure. 

Transmission infrastructure planning in New York is a lengthy process, one that begins with the collaboration of NYISO and its state partners. Smith walked the audience through that process, explaining how the first step is to ask stakeholders for input, enabling them to determine what might be driving transmission projects and where new projects are needed.

Waldorf went on to discuss the important role the DPS plays in overseeing the transmission processes, from working on Article VII Siting Reviews to collaborating with the PSC to ensure New York’s electric grid can meet future energy demands and the statutory emission reduction goals set out in the CLCPA. She also explained their work related to the Coordinated Grid Planning Process (CGPP), the Accelerated Renewables Act, and FERC Order No. 1000. 

The conversation then turned to the crucial role of connectivity between regional partners, with Bernecker emphasizing the current joint effort among nine Northeastern states, including New York, to address transmission hurdles and improve connectivity. 

But it’s not always easy. The role of resource imbalances must be considered, Smith countered. For instance, if one state has a resource surplus while another state notes a resource shortage, finding a delicate balance and reallocating accordingly is critical. “It always comes down to proper cost allocation,” Smith said, which poses challenges in ensuring an inter-regional process where projects can only move forward successfully if states come to a consensus. 

The timeline for siting transmission projects – which often last over seven years – has also posed challenges. The state sought to address this in 2024 with the passage of the RAPID Act, which streamlined the process of siting for transmission, similar to the reforms that have been enacted for large-scale renewables.  “For too long, permitting delays and outdated infrastructure slowed progress,” said Tighe. “The RAPID Act changed that, making it easier and faster to deliver the grid New York needs.”

Waldorf explained how the New York Department of Public Service is working to draft a new rule making process and, following the Accelerated Renewables Act, is hosting a series of public hearings to ensure the needs of every economic region in New York are met. 

It is crucial to continue to lean into proactive planning to identify which investments need to be made in the short-term and which should be committed to the long-term future, so the right choices can be made at the right time. This means prioritizing the “identification of investments earlier” in the process and “relying less on de facto planning so that the interconnection process can be sped up” and its costs reduced, explained Bernecker. 

Waldorf touched on the number of efforts that are currently in place to successfully plan these projects – such as coordinated growth planning – and stressed how a proactive planning process is about working with utilities and ensuring they  participate in the decision-making process, which includes determining whether the amount of money that will be invested in a certain region of the state will actually provide tangible benefits for consumers. 

The stakes in this process are high. Transmission is the backbone of our clean energy future. But these experts demonstrated that with coordination efforts, innovation, and proactive planning, our goals can be achieved.

Annelise Fisher, an undergraduate summer intern at the New York League of Conservation Voters, is a rising senior at Harvard University pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Environmental Science & Public Policy. 

Lily Hirschson, an undergraduate intern at the New York League of Conservation Voters since June 2025, is a second-year student at Skidmore College pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science and International Affairs.