A large National Grid project spanning Upstate New York will rebuild existing transmission lines in northern Chautauqua County.

Part of its “Upstate Upgrade,” National Grid’s Dunkirk-Laona Project will rebuild about five miles of electric lines.

The work will affect 115kv transmission lines between Dunkirk and Laona, in the town of Pomfret. Nearly all of the work will take place in current rights-of-way.

Also included are technologies to improve response time and decrease maintenance costs.

The Dunkirk-Laona project is currently in its fieldwork and design phase. The project team is currently performing survey work in the transmission corridor and will begin soil boring work, collecting samples of soil and bedrock, to support the design this spring. Project neighbors will receive more information on upcoming field work prior to the start of those activities.

According to National Grid, the design and permitting phase of the project is from fall 2023 until fall 2025. Construction is anticipated to start in fall 2025, with completion envisioned in the fall or winter of 2026.

National Grid states it is investing more than $4 billion in Upstate Upgrade. According to its website, the plan “focuses on modernizing the transmission system to meet the expanded electricity needs of the growing economy and to power more electrical devices than ever before, including electric vehicles and heat pumps. And, while the current network has served customers well for more than a century, it wasn’t designed to connect and transport the amounts of wind and solar power that will be produced across the region.”

Upstate Upgrade is supposed to construct or rebuild more than 1,000 miles of transmission lines, 45 substations, and install new technologies that prevent load loss, monitor load fluctuations, and resolve congestion. The work also will protect the transmission grid against the increasing threat of extreme weather.

“The Upstate Upgrade is our largest investment in New York’s electricity transmission system since it was built more than 100 years ago,” National Grid New York President Rudy Wynter said. “While the grid has served us well for over a century, it’s time to make the changes that will set us up for the next century of growth and success in New York.”

Wynter added, “In addition, the Upstate Upgrade brings with it a different type of energy: economic growth. It will fuel local economies where our work will be concentrated with new jobs and spending, and expand the property tax base that supports local services, schools and communities.”