Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Central East Energy Connect FAQs
Is the project complete?
Yes, it was fully placed in-service in 2023. LS Power Grid continues construction restoration activities in parts of Herkimer, Montgomery, and Schenectady counties.
What is NYISO?
The NYISO is the New York Independent System Operator — the organization responsible for managing New York’s electric grid and its competitive wholesale electric marketplace. NYISO does not generate power or own transmission lines, but works with power producers, utility companies, and stakeholders to provide power to meet New Yorkers’ electricity needs on a daily, hourly, and minute-to-minute basis.
The NYISO is charged with reliably operating New York’s power grid, meeting the most stringent standards in the nation, under strict regulatory oversight. The NYISO plans the power system for the future, over one, five and ten-year studies, to maintain long term reliability, reduce congestion on the transmission system, and meet public policy needs calling for new transmission, such as lines to bring renewable resources to customers. The NYISO administers markets and maintains reliability openly and transparently, providing data, analyses, and information pertaining to New York’s power system to policymakers, stakeholders, and the general public. Source: nyiso.com/faq
What is the grid?
The electric grid is a complex and interconnected network of facilities that produce electricity (generators), facilities that transmit the electricity (transmission lines, transformers, and substations), and consumers (homes, businesses, and industrial facilities). Electricity is produced at the numerous generating stations connected to the system, converting renewable, fossil fuel, or nuclear resources to electrical energy. Electricity is then carried efficiently by high voltage transmission lines to the regions in which it’s needed.
The lower voltage distribution system moves the electricity from local distribution substations and lines, finally reaching your home.
What are transmission facilities?
Transmission facilities consist of transmission lines, substations, transformers, and other related equipment. As power plants generate energy, transmission facilities transport that high-voltage electricity from generation facilities to local distribution systems, which then disperse lower-voltage electricity to homes and businesses. Substations are intersections of transmission lines where electricity can be added and/or removed from the transmission system. Transformers transfer electricity from one circuit to another while also changing the voltage.
How does transmission competition benefit ratepayers?
Competition in regional transmission planning processes introduces new and innovative solutions to the design, construction, finance, and operation of transmission projects. Most importantly, though, competition has led to the introduction of cost caps that shift the risk of project cost overruns to developers and away from ratepayers. Without competition, incumbent utilities have not been willing to accept the risk of cost overruns on their transmission projects.
What is a ROFR?
A Right of First Refusal (ROFR) is an anti-competitive statutory provision allowing incumbent utilities to construct, own, and operate new transmission facilities in the absence of competitive bidding. ROFR laws harm consumers in the states in which they are enacted and in nearby states where the costs of new transmission projects are shared.
