The Southern Tier Area Reliability (STAR) East Project will help New York State meet its energy goals. The STAR East Project includes a rebuild of Line 961, which is an approximately 20 mile long 115kV transmission line from Oakdale substation to South Owego substation.

The STAR East Project is a multi-value solution which addresses reliability and resiliency needs while also providing a means of integrating increased energy resources for delivery to New York customers. The Program 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 STAR East Project will remove bottlenecks on the local transmission system and allow large amounts of existing and projected future generation facilities to connect to the power grid, thus helping New York State meet its energy goals.
• The Program, as well as the 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 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 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:

Federal

• Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)
• U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE)

State

• New York State Public Service Commission (NYSPSC)
• New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC)
• New York State Department of Transportation (DOT)