New York’s Smart Path Connect 100-mile transmission project has been completed and energized, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced recently.

The modernized energy pathway will provide approximately $438 million in annual benefits to New Yorkers, including monthly savings on electric bills for households and businesses, according to the governor. It is the latest project to be completed as part of the largest investment in New York’s electric grid in 50 years.

Smart Path Connect is now operational in the North Country and Mohawk Valley, and enables the flow of more renewable energy across New York State, enhances the reliability and resiliency of the state power grid, and reduces costly transmission congestion. The project is part of Hochul’s commitment to a reliable, affordable and clean energy future for New York by unlocking 1 GW of renewable energy in upstate New York.

“Smart Path Connect’s completion delivers hundreds of millions of dollars in annual savings and measurable benefits to communities and businesses across New York,” Hochul said. “By modernizing this essential energy infrastructure, we are moving clean power more efficiently and eliminating bottlenecks that have driven up energy costs. The upgraded corridor not only unlocks renewable energy, it also strengthens grid reliability and secures a thriving economic future for all New Yorkers.”

The project was developed by the New York Power Authority (NYPA) in collaboration with National Grid. It is designed to open up existing and new renewable resources along its path, including clean, low-cost hydropower from the St. Lawrence-Franklin D. Roosevelt Power Project in Massena.

The work entailed construction in two separate transmission corridors, the upgrade of approximately 100 miles of transmission lines, and the construction of four new substations as well as upgrades to 10 existing substations. The project spans Clinton, Franklin, St. Lawrence, Lewis and Oneida counties, the governor’s office said.

The Power Authority built and revitalized three new substations, made significant modifications to six existing substations, and completed 45 miles of new transmission lines between Clinton and Massena in the North Country, according to the governor’s office. National Grid completed construction of the project’s southern alignment, a 55-mile section between the towns of Croghan and Marcy, including constructing a new substation, Austin Road, in the Lewis County town of Glenfield.

NYPA’s 78-mile Smart Path transmission project links the two Smart Path Connect segments, forming nearly 200 uninterrupted miles of upgraded 345 kilovolt (kV) transmission between Clinton and Oneida counties. Hochul’s office said that 345 kV cables have the capacity to efficiently move massive amounts of extra high-voltage power across long distances. Like Smart Path, Smart Path Connect was primarily built within existing transmission rights-of-way.

“Through the Smart Path Connect transmission project, under Governor Hochul’s leadership, we are modernizing energy infrastructure to help ensure the lights stay on and that we are lowering energy costs for New Yorkers,’’ said New York Power Authority President and CEO Justin E. Driscoll said.

Public Service Commission Chair and CEO Rory M. Christian said, “Additional infrastructure to improve the mobility of both existing and new megawatts of clean electricity across the statewide grid is key to ensuring energy costs for all New Yorkers trend in a more affordable direction, to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars annually.”

The Smart Path Connect project and others like it that are capable of transporting volume “represent a meaningful dent in the additional transmission capacity needed throughout the state to uphold the principle of operating the energy system at the lowest possible cost, without sacrificing opportunities for economic growth,’’ Christian added.

National Grid New York President Sally Librera said, “As demand for energy grows, this project delivers renewable power directly to the businesses and communities that need it most. Smart Path Connect strengthens the grid, unlocks clean power, and drives growth across New York.”