VIEWPOINT: Supporting the Region’s Revitalization

Central New York’s economy is at the threshold of a period of steep, lucrative growth for the first time in decades. Thanks in part to major public and private investments, our region gained more than 5,300 jobs in the past year across all industries and is forecasted to continue growing. As a major employer of more than 5,600 people in Upstate, National Grid is proud to support our region’s revitalization with the Upstate Upgrade, a portfolio of energy-infrastructure improvements to build a smarter, stronger, cleaner energy grid for our customers and communities. The Upstate Upgrade is a collection of 70-plus projects aimed at improving and expanding electricity transmission, and many of these projects are planned in and around Central New York. Much of our current grid was first built in the years before and immediately after World War II. While it has served us well, it needs to be upgraded to support future growth in electricity demand while improving reliability and resiliency for our customers. We are strengthening the transmission grid to improve reliability in the face of more frequent impactful weather events, helping to prevent outages and restoring power more quickly when they do occur. The Upstate Upgrade will increase capacity by thousands of megawatts, helping our economy grow and our communities prosper. With increasing demands on our electric system, National Grid must act now to meet the expanding needs of Central New York’s growing economy. Micron’s historic investment in Central New York is a boon for our region that will spin off growth. New loads on the grid such as electric vehicles, heat pumps, data centers and advanced manufacturing continue to develop and will need additional grid capacity. New sources of energy from wind and solar need reliable connections into the electrical grid so that energy produced in Upstate can be used across our region. A third-party analysis of the Upstate Upgrade by the consultancy West Monroe shows the potential for economic growth and impact. Across Upstate, the effort will create more than 1,700 new construction-related jobs, the majority hired locally, and bring with it at least $1.9 billion in overall economic output during and after construction. The Upstate Upgrade will also create thousands of additional jobs for local businesses, such as hospitality and retail positions, thanks to increased spending in the region by our project teams. In addition, energy-intensive businesses like manufacturers and data centers could choose to take advantage of the improved energy delivery system and the abundance of renewable energy in our region. These new jobs will provide a boost for our customers and communities, generating exciting opportunities for growth, which will bolster our economy for future job creators and will attract new innovators to our communities. Emerging technologies will need local installers and service technicians to set up and maintain customer equipment. Overall, these investments will generate a total of up to 2 percent economic growth in counties across Upstate that host our electrical transmission infrastructure through 2030. National Grid is committed to strengthening the communities we serve. Thoughtful outreach and communications are core to who we are as a company and our approach on these projects is to ensure that all impacted residents, businesses, and landowners are aware of the scope of our work and can engage meaningfully with our teams to provide input and have questions answered. You can find more information at our website: upstateupgrade.nationalgrid.com. This is a large-scale investment in the future of Upstate and National Grid is proud to be a part of that future. Together we can build a robust, resilient, and secure grid to serve Upstate for decades to come.     

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Alberto Bianchetti is regional director of customer and community engagement for National Grid. Contact him at alberto.bianchetti@nationalgrid.com.