Poseidon Transmission I, LLC filed an application with the New York State Public Service Commission (Commission) seeking approval to construct and operate a 500 MW electric transmission line in New York State. The transmission line will import power from the New Jersey system of the PJM Interconnection LLC into the system of the Long Island Power Authority (LIPA). The underground and submarine transmission line will run from South Brunswick, New Jersey to a proposed converter station and to the existing LIPA Ruland Road Substation in the Town of Huntington, Suffolk County. The Commission’s review concerns the New York project components.

Informational Forum and Public Statement Hearing

During an Informational Forum, Staff from the Department of Public Service will provide an overview of the Public Service Law certification process and the Applicant will provide a summary of the proposed project. These presentations will be followed by an opportunity for members of the public to ask questions about the proposal.

An Administrative Law Judge will conduct the Public Statement Hearing. In order to speak at the hearing, it is not necessary to be present at the start of the hearing, to make an appointment in advance, or to present written material. Persons will be called to speak after completing a request card. A time limit may be set to allow the greatest number of speakers to be heard. The public statement hearing will continue until everyone wishing to speak has been heard or other reasonable arrangements have been made. A verbatim transcript of the hearing will be made for inclusion in the record of this proceeding.

Disabled persons requiring special accommodations may place a collect call to the DPS’s Human Resources Management Office at 518-474-2520. TDD users may request a sign language interpreter by placing a call through the New York Relay Service at 711 to reach the Department of Public Service’s Human Resources Office at the previously mentioned number. If you have difficulty understanding English, please call the Department at 1-800-342-3377 for free language assistance services.

Description of the Proposed Facility 

In October 2013, Poseidon Transmission I, LLC filed an application with the Commission for a Certificate of Environmental Compatibility and Public Need authorizing the construction of the New York State-based components of a high voltage, direct current (HVDC) electric transmission facility known as the Poseidon Project. The proposed Project will provide a transmission pathway for importing up to 500 MW of power from the Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland (PJM) Interconnection to the New York Transmission System. The Project will connect the Deans Substation in South Brunswick, New Jersey to LIPA’s Ruland Road Substation in the Town of Huntington, Suffolk County, New York.

The application states that the proposed transmission line will assist electricity users in Long Island to gain access to lower cost power resources and will relieve congestion on the transmission system.

The proposed facilities include a 25.5 mile long, 200 kilovolt (kV) HVDC submarine cable system that starts at the New Jersey-New York border in the Atlantic Ocean and enters Long Island at Jones Beach State Park in the Town of Hempstead. From this landfall point, a 16.6 mile, 200 kV upland cable would be installed underground, across Jones Beach State Park, and State parkways and State, county and town highway and road corridors, crossing through the Town of Oyster Bay, Bethpage State Park, and terminating in the vicinity of Melville in the Town of Huntington. The HVDC cable will end at Ruland Road in Melville at a new converter station designed to convert HVDC power to alternating current (AC). Two underground 138 (kV) AC cables are proposed to be located for a length of 0.6 miles along Ruland Road to connect the converter station to the Ruland Road Substation.

Note that additional facilities, including submarine and underground cables systems and a converter station, are proposed for the New Jersey portion of the transmission line.

The Applicant also has requested that the Commission issue a Water Quality Certification pursuant to the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, Section 401 (33 U.S.C. §1341).

NYS Certification Review Process for Major Electric Transmission Lines

Article VII of the NYS Public Service Law establishes the review process for consideration of any application to construct and operate a major electric transmission facility. The Commission must decide whether to grant or deny the application and must make findings regarding:

• The basis of need for the facilities;
• The nature of probable environmental impacts of the facilities, and whether impacts will be minimized;
• What part, if any, shall be constructed underground and whether the facilities conform with plans for electric grid expansion;
• Whether the facility conforms with State and local laws and regulations, or the need for waiver of local laws and regulations; and
• Whether the facility serves the public interest, convenience and necessity.

How to Obtain Information

The application documents and other materials pertaining to this case, including a description of the probable environmental impact of the proposed facility, can be obtained from the Commission’s website, www.dps.ny.gov., by clicking on "Search," and entering "13-T-0391" in the "Search by Case Number" field.

Ways to Participate in the Article VII Process

Article VII provides opportunities for individual and group stakeholders to take part in the formal review of the application. The proposed location, appearance, cost and construction and maintenance practices, as well as the need for the facility are all subject to review. Article VII proceedings are open to participation from New York State agencies, municipalities and local environmental, commercial, planning and community/public interest groups and individuals that have an interest in the project.

There are several ways to participate in the Article VII process, including:

• Request Party Status: Becoming a party to a case enables an individual or group to contribute to the development of a complete record by conducting discovery, submitting testimony, briefs, or other formal written comments, and participating in evidentiary hearings, procedural conferences and other formal events conducted in the case.
  
  Interested groups or individuals can submit a request for party status on-line through the Commission’s www.dps.ny.gov web site by searching for Case 13-T-0515 and clicking the “Request for Party Status” link at the top of the Case page. Alternatively, a “Request for Party Status Form” can be downloaded (http://tinyurl.com/PSCParticipateForms) from the website or obtained by calling or writing Administrative Law Judge, NYS Public Service Commission, Three Empire State Plaza, Albany, NY 12223-1350, 518-474-4520. The requestor will be provisionally added to the party list, subject to the right of other parties to object and subject to the determination of the Administrative Law Judge.

• Join the Service List: Interested persons who wish to monitor the proceedings of a particular case can do so without the formal commitment to become a party to the proceeding. The persons who subscribe to the service list of a case will receive an e-mail with a direct link to the documents issued by the Commission, such as orders, notices, and rulings. Persons unable or unwilling to receive such electronic notification will receive hard copies of Commission-issued documents by regular mail.
  
  To register on-line, click on the “Subscribe to Service List” link at the top of the page for Case 13-T-0391. A “Service List and Mail Service List Request Form” can be downloaded and the completed form sent by e-mail to Hon. Kathleen H. Burgess, Secretary at [email protected] or by mail to: Secretary, Public Service Commission, Three Empire State Plaza, Albany, NY 12223-1350.

• Monitor the Case on the Commission Website: Interested persons who choose not to sign up to receive e-mail notifications can view our website at their convenience to check on the status of a case. All documents filed by parties, correspondence, hearing transcripts, and documents issued by the Commission in a given case are posted on the website for that case. In addition, all comments submitted by the public are posted under the ‘public comments’ tab for the case.

• Provide Comments: There are opportunities to attend public outreach events to learn about this proposal and to provide comments. Currently, the Commission is seeking public comment on the application for the Poseidon facilities as described above. The public statement hearing identified in this fact sheet is being held to provide the public with the opportunity to comment on the proposal. In addition to attending the hearing, comments can be provided to the Commission using the following methods:
   
• Via the Internet or In Writing: Public comments may be submitted electronically to Hon. Kathleen H. Burgess, Secretary, at [email protected], or by mail or delivery to, Secretary Burgess at the Department of Public Service, Three Empire State Plaza, and Albany, New York 12223-1350. Comments may also be entered directly at the Commission’s webpage. In the open case, enter comments in the “Post Comments” tab located at the top of the page. Comments should refer to “Case 13-T-0391 (Poseidon Project).” Many libraries offer free internet service.

• Toll-Free Opinion Line: Individuals may choose to submit comments by calling the Commission’s toll-free Opinion Line at 1-800-335-2120. This line is set up to receive comments on pending cases from in-state callers, 24-hours a day. These calls are not transcribed but a summary is provided to the administrative law judges who will report to the Commission. Callers should press “1” to leave comments and should refer to “Case 13-T-0391 (Poseidon Project).”

All comments received through the hearings or the methods listed above will become part of the record considered by the Commission and will be posted for public viewing on the Commission’s website.

For a printable fact sheet you can click here.