Empire State Connector Corp. has filed an application with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to negotiate agreements with customers for electric transmission service on a high-voltage, direct-current line. The 260-mile-long line would collect up to 1000 MW of power from non-emitting generation at a converter station to be built near Utica, N.Y., and deliver it at 320 kV to New York City, mostly via cables buried on land or laid in the Erie Canal and Hudson River. The owner has assumed full market risk for the $1.5-billion construction cost.