New York State’s Grid Modernization Commission is on the verge of becoming a reality.
The legislation forming the commission was unanimously passed by the state Assembly and the bill will move on to the state Senate for consideration before the end of the legislative session on June 6.
The primary goals of the commission will be to identify critical state transmission needs and conduct annual studies to support building out high voltage transmission facilities that meet those needs.
According to The Post-Journal, the commission will perform research, development, and demonstration studies of electric grid modernization that address the key challenges identified in the New York Independent System Operator’s 2021-2040 System & Resource Outlook. It will also pinpoint tools, resources, and deployment models that could potentially improve the grid’s performance.
“I rise to very proudly support this legislation which will really give us the tools and help us address (our) challenges,” said Assembly Woman Didi Barrett. “Having reliability is so important as we’re facing the challenges of meeting our CLCPA goals and being able to really engage in all aspects and bring everybody together. My goal is to have us all as a state rowing in the same direction, and ensure that we have the data to do that.”
New York has until 2040 to add between 111 gigawatts and 124 gigawatts of generating capacity to meet the requirements of the state Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, which mandates a fully renewable electric grid.
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