CHENANGO COUNTY – The federally-regulated agency that oversees the state’s electricity grid says New York Regional Interconnect Inc.’s $1.6 power line project isn’t needed to meet future energy demands.

In its 2007 “Comprehensive Reliability Plan,” the New York Independent System Operator – a non-profit corporation that manages the flow of wholesale energy – concludes there are a “more than sufficient” number of already-planned projects and solutions to “meet or exceed” the state’s electricity needs through 2016 without NYRI.

“It confirms what we’ve known along,” said Earlville resident and Stop NYRI co-chair Eve Ann Shwartz. “That NYRI’s project wasn’t about satisfying the energy needs of the state – it was about making a profit.”

NYRI is a Canadian-backed company proposing to construct at 190-mile long power line from Utica to New Windsor that would split 44 miles of Chenango County. Often citing previous NYISO reports calling for energy upgrades, company officials say the 400,000 volt line would relieve energy bottlenecks and prevent blackouts downstate by the year 2011.

However, according to the most recent NYISO report, NYRI’s project was listed as one of three “alternative regulated solutions” that “New York (state) need not implement.” It also did not include the project as a one of the alternate options if the current solutions fail.

NYRI officials did not return requests for comment this morning.