Propel power cable plan gets key approval from NYS, but critics remain concerned over environmental impact

A proposed high-voltage power cable project stretching from western Suffolk to Westchester County and the Bronx took a step toward construction this week with a key approval from state utility regulators.

Propel NY Energy, a partnership of the New York Power Authority and utility consortium New York Transco, was granted a permit Thursday from the New York State Public Service Commission. Commission approval is required for any major electric generation or transmission facility in the state.

Propel still needs the commission's approval for its environmental management and construction plans. The commission is reviewing them, Chair Rory M. Christian said in an interview Friday. He declined to say how long the review would take. Propel also needs several permits from the Army Corps of Engineers, mostly related to a portion of the cable route that would cross under Long Island Sound.

In an email Friday in response to the state approval, Bruce Kennedy, village administrator for the North Shore Village of Sea Cliff — who has questioned the necessity of the project and warned it could damage North Shore waterways, including a harbor near the village — wrote that the federal agency was now the last hope for an "independent" regulator in the matter. The Army Corps did not respond to a request for comment. Propel's timeline calls for the project to go into service May 2030.

Just two transmission ties now connect Long Island to the rest of New York State power grid. The $3.26-billion Propel would bolster power transmission between New York City and Long Island, more than doubling Long Island’s power import capability.

It would also turn what has traditionally been a one-way route — electricity from the rest of the state flowing to Long Island — into a "bidirectional" one capable of moving power generated from Long Island's rooftop solar arrays or offshore wind projects off-island, Christian said.

Propel's high-voltage transmission lines would snake underground from western Suffolk, Syosset and Island Park to a Uniondale hub and on to Glenwood Landing, the Bronx and New Rochelle.

The proposal calls for about 90 miles of buried lines, including about 9 miles under Long Island Sound. Plans call for three new substations on Long Island and upgrades to existing ones. Most of the new lines would carry 345,000 volts of electricity, significantly more than existing lines. 

"What we are doing is ... creating more lanes so that energy can move more freely, more economically, to homes and businesses that need it," said Susan Craig, a Propel spokeswoman, in an interview Friday. 

Supporters say the project is needed to prepare for anticipated growth in demand for electricity for industrial uses and as consumers use more for heating and electric vehicles. Propel executives say the project cost will be shared by ratepayers across the state, who will pay about 6 cents more per day in service charges, an amount they say will be far outweighed by savings in usage charges over the first 20 years of the project's life.

In a statement, Julie Tighe, president of the New York League of Conservation Voters, an environmental advocacy group, called Propel a “critical step for New York’s energy future…With demand for electricity rapidly rising, it’s not enough to invest in clean energy without also building the infrastructure that’s necessary to deliver it to our homes and businesses.”

But opponents have said Propel would threaten aquatic life and water quality in waterways like the Hempstead Harbor, while creating noise and traffic during construction and health concerns associated with the cables’ electromagnetic field once the project is operating. Critics include North Shore residents and municipalities, including Sea Cliff, and several school districts. 

Kennedy wrote that construction would have "devastating consequences" for the harbor, killing all the clams living in portions of the marine work area and disturbing the harbor habitat. He also warned that Propel had not established that it owns or had the right to use all of the underwater land its power lines might cross. Sea Cliff has owned some of that seabed land since the 1930s, he said.

The village was "carefully reviewing every available option concerning the Certificate," or permit granted by the Commission, he wrote.

But Public Service commissioners found many of the critics’ arguments unconvincing, writing in the order granting the permit that opponents "do not provide any evidentiary support for their positions, such as studies or expert analysis."

While some impacts, such as construction noise, are "unavoidable," they wrote, the project plans will minimize them "to the extent practicable."

In an emailed statement, Craig, the Propel spokeswoman, wrote that the project would "help prevent blackouts and brownouts on Long Island, while protecting Hempstead Harbor through robust environmental safeguards, proven construction methods, and regular monitoring."