MYR Energy Services and L.E. Myers Team Up to Construct Large-Scale Transmission Project Amid Stringent Environmental Regulations Nov 26, 2024

The MYR Group subsidiaries employed diligent planning and creative adaptability to bring clean energy to New York's population

Roughly 80 percent of New York state's clean energy is generated in the rural expanse of Upstate New York. Eighty percent of the state's population lives over 200 miles south of this energy source, in and around New York City. Between the significant amount of clean energy generated in the north and the majority of people living in the city, stands miles of outdated infrastructure tasked with carrying modern-day quantities of energy via transmission lines built decades ago.

As part of the state's efforts to build infrastructure capable of transporting this vast amount of clean energy, MYR Energy Services (MYR Energy) took on a complex transmission line for a long-term client, LS Power, through rugged Upstate New York terrain and four northern winters as the primary contractors of what became known as the Central East Energy Connect (CEEC) project (originally known as Marcy to New Scotland).

MYR Energy often collaborates with other MYR Group subsidiaries, leveraging their strong relationships with subcontractors and familiarity with specific regions to deliver for customers across the country. For the CEEC project, MYR Energy provided project and construction management, material procurement, and construction services including right-of-way clearing, environmental controls, foundation installation, structure assembly and erection, and conductor stringing. Fellow MYR Group subsidiary, The L.E. Myers Co. (L.E. Myers), performed line construction.

On top of this challenging project, stringent environmental regulations posed an extra set of obstacles for the MYR Group subsidiaries performing the work.

"MYR Energy and LS Power have a long-standing relationship executing high profile projects throughout the United States," said Ken Schleh, the regional vice president of MYR Energy, "The environmental complexities and the tight outage windows led to another partnership between our two organizations." Thanks to strong relationships, a capable fleet, diligent planning, and impressive adaptability, the teams successfully updated nearly 200 circuit miles of transmission along 93 miles of right of way (ROW) this spring - on time and under budget.

Meeting the Demands of a Growing Need

Clean energy production is increasing across the nation as wind and solar farms generate more of the country's energy. However, as clean energy generation grows, the transmission and distribution lines delivering electricity to end users remain outdated in many places, and therefore, incapable of efficiently and effectively transporting such massive amounts of energy. Funding and policy are more frequently focused on such projects, and LS Powers' CEEC project is an example of how states are investing in electrical infrastructure to deliver clean energy to consumers.

"In order to make all that renewable energy useful, (New York) needs to get that power from where it's generated - which is in the northern part of the state with only 20 percent of the population - down to the southern portion of the state, which has 80 percent of the population and very little generation," MYR Energy Senior Project Manager Josh Allen said. "The current infrastructure is very old and very rotted out. We're going to be almost quadrupling the capacity. The overall amperage is going to be much higher, so that's the biggest reason for the Central East Energy Connect project - upgrading out-of-date infrastructure so that we can utilize renewable energy that's in the northern portion of New York state."

Handling a Unique Challenge

Reconductoring CEEC's nearly 200 circuit miles of transmission line was a particularly daunting project as is, but perhaps the biggest hurdle was the state's stringent environmental regulations. Restrictions varied by region, type of wildlife, and terrain, which means a right-of-way spanning 93 miles will inevitably face many environmental policies.

"It's pretty much as stringent an environmental landscape as we can have," Allen explained. "But it's very good because it keeps us honest and gives us requirements to follow."

Allen noted that a major strength of MYR Energy is their familiarity with handling large-scale projects across the country. As a company, they are practiced in dealing with numerous municipalities at once under varying and thorough regulations. The state of New York poses an especially tough set of restrictions, particularly with Article VII of the New York State Public Service Law.

"This Article VII was quite the learning experience," noted Bryan Vorwaller, MYR Energy's director of field operations. "The language is a little bit open-ended, and it can be driven down even to the point of your inspector on the site and how they interpret that language."

Strategic Planning

Detail-oriented preparation was critical to follow such intricate regulations. For MYR Energy and L.E. Myers, this began with training. It took diligence and organization to ensure everyone knew what they should and could do depending on the area. Anyone who wasn't a temporary worker was required to go through training about Article VII requirements, including animals and invasive species to look out for and what flagging colors look like based on where someone is.

The training was comprehensive in both what it covered and who it taught, and facilitating this process was smoother than it might have been had MYR Energy not been able to collaborate with its fellow MYR Group subsidiary L.E. Myers. This relationship made it easier to ensure everyone involved was on the same page and utilizing the same critical information.

"Both MYR Energy Services managing it at the high level, as well as L.E. Myers lineworkers and field management teams, understand how to work in difficult terrain and know that it's important to protect the environment," Allen said.

In addition to training preparation for the project, crew members walked all 93 miles of ROW. Every Wednesday morning, a group of 10 to 12 workers mapped out the area on foot to assess how best to build the new line safely and minimize environmental impact.

Workers also had access to technology that ensured accuracy in how they handled their immediate environment.

"We utilize software called GIS that shows the foremen where they're allowed to operate, what the road is going to look like - whether it's a wetland or whether it's an agricultural area," Allen said. "They can see in real-time where they are, what they're allowed to do, and if there's any time-of-year restrictions."

Good Relationships and Commitment to Communication

Effective communication was imperative both within the MYR Group teams and with the numerous other parties involved with the project. The subsidiaries' pre-existing relationships with subcontractors, environmental groups, and LS Power helped facilitate a rigorous yet efficient process necessary for such a large endeavor.

"Given the fact we go through 93 miles of transmission right of way, there are a lot of towns, a lot of counties and communities that just want to be able to see what's going on," Allen said.

MYR Energy's rigorous communication system meant a more efficient building process when the time came to finally break ground. This included daily, weekly, and monthly meetings with contractors and the client, as well as providing detailed documentation sent out to communities, local districts, and other stakeholders impacted by the project.

"We coordinated with these different entities through the whole project and there were weeks upon weeks spent daily with these different entities on the front end addressing their concerns with the project," Vorwaller explained.

However, pre-existing client relationships and experience with intensive large-scale projects meant MYR Energy came prepared for what the CEEC project entailed. "It's a very team-oriented environment with those folks, and especially on this project, from day one," Vorwaller said.

The Importance of Adaptability

Between the multitude of state entities with their own management teams across New York State, MYR Energy had to adhere to a variety of regulations that varied by their unique districts. Even with the diligent preparation that went into the CEEC project, obstacles still arose which the team faced with creativity, efficiency, and adaptability to meet the project deadline.

One instance in which MYR Energy's agility was displayed was when they came across an issue with a region's unique matting protocols. An area intersected by the line ROW called for extra matting to protect the land being operated on. This extra matting meant the fleet couldn't make it under a distribution line they originally thought they could clear. Knowing that Article VII called for a lengthy rerouting process, MYR Energy had to get creative.

"Anytime we shift any kind of access, you have to go through the state for permission," Allen explained. "And instead, we were able to work with the local utility to put a hard guard cover on [the distribution line] and push it up so that we were able to drive our equipment safely underneath."

MYR Energy's adaptability, combined with their pre-established relationship with a separate utility company and their possession of the necessary equipment, prevented what could've been a major setback.

Despite challenges, both established and spontaneous, the CEEC project was a success, helping bring greater quantities of clean energy with increased efficiency to those in need.

"This was a tough project," Schleh said, "It was very complex, and the environmental component was very intense. Working through that as a team alongside LS Power, we all pulled together to get it done on time, and the project turned out great."

Project Details: Central East Energy Connect

Read more: Central East Energy Connect Illustrates the Importance of Large Transmission

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