Champlain Hudson Power Express Provides Project Update During Climate Week
Construction for hydropower transmission line underway; power delivery expected to begin in 2026
New York, NY – As leaders from across the world gather for Climate Week NYC, the Champlain Hudson Power Express (CHPE) – the 339-mile transmission clean-energy project that will delivery nearly 20% of New York City’s annual energy needs – is sharing a comprehensive update on construction as the innovative project continues to progress toward operation in 2026.
After breaking ground on the transmission line in Whitehall, NY, in late 2022, construction work expanded rapidly across the state, and is now also underway in the province of Québec. In New York, work is underway in every project segment, including Washington, Saratoga, Schenectady, Albany, Greene, Rockland and Queens counties, along with significant work in Lake Champlain and the Hudson River. This includes tree clearing and site preparation, horizontal directional drilling (HDD), trenching, conduit installation and cable pulling on land, and as well as cable installation in waterways.
Waterway Cable Installation
During the spring, CHPE installed marine concrete mattresses in both Lake Champlain and the Hudson River. Following this, marine cable installation began in August, when the initial section of the high-voltage direct current (HVDC) power cables were floated along the surface of Lake Champlain to the US-Canadian border in the Richelieu River. A further 330-ft section will be passed over the border to CHPE’s partner, Hydro-Québec, for connection to the Hertel-New York Interconnection Line Project at a later date. Cable installation is slated to be completed in Lake Champlain by the end of 2024.
Cable installation in the Upper Hudson River began in August and will be completed by November 2024, with a further phase in the Lower Hudson occurring in 2025. Cable installation in the Harlem River will also take place in 2025.
Terrestrial Work
CHPE broke ground on its Astoria converter site last fall, where direct current electricity will be converted to alternating current electricity, which will be used to power one million homes. Simultaneously work to lay the transmission cable is ongoing in various stages in all 15 of the project’s terrestrial construction segments. This work includes clearing trees and growth in preparation for project installation, digging the trench and installing conduit that will house CHPE’s cables, performing horizontal directional drilling (HDD) which is used to go under large obstacles and avoid environmentally sensitive areas and splicing the cable together. CHPE’s high voltage direct current (HVDC) cables are being laid almost entirely in existing rights of way, so as not to mar New York’s stunning views.
The project remains on track, with an in-service date scheduled for the end of May 2026.
Hertel‑New York interconnection line
CHPE is working in close collaboration with Hydro Quebec, which is building an approximately 36 mile underwater and underground transmission line from the Hertel substation in La Prairie, Quebec to an interconnection point with CHPE in the Richelieu River, at the Canada–New York border. This will connect CHPE to Hydro Quebec’s vast network of hydropower generating stations, enabling CHPE to deliver energy year round.
Project Benefits
CHPE has already created hundreds of good-paying union jobs in the region. The project recently hit 2.5 million labor hours, a huge milestone for workers in New York State. Over the course of its construction, CHPE will create 1,400 union jobs.
Last month, CHPE announced the opening of the second Request for Proposals (RFP) for its Green Economy Fund (GEF), a $40 million, 20-year initiative dedicated to supporting New York State’s disadvantaged communities, low-income individuals, and transitioning fossil fuel workers to careers in the green economy.
The second RFP, which closes on Oct. 1, 2024 follows the successful distribution of $750,000 to organizations who applied for funding during the initial RFP in 2023. Recipients included Pathways to Apprenticeship, Stacks + Joules, Nontraditional Employment for Women, and the NYC District Council of Carpenters Apprenticeship Journeyman Retraining Educational & Industry Fund (AJREIF).
CHPE’s Clean Energy Future
Once online in 2026, CHPE will provide nearly 20% of New York City’s energy, which will be available year-round. This clean, renewable energy supply will result in a carbon reduction of 3.9M metric tons in its first full year of operation, which will be crucial for neighborhoods long-neglected by environmental justice, like Astoria’s “Asthma Alley’.
About the Champlain Hudson Power Express
CHPE involves the construction of an underground and underwater transmission line spanning approximately 339 miles between the Canada–U.S. border and New York City.
CHPE will also provide competitively priced hydropower from Québec that is expected to lower climate emissions and local air pollutants, as well as electricity generation costs throughout the state by $17 billion over the first 25 years of operation, all the while providing increased reliability and resiliency for the downstate grid. The project also provides a total of $3.5 billion in economic benefits to New Yorkers and creates approximately 1,400 family-sustaining jobs during construction, with a commitment to use union labor. CHPE will provide an economic boost to 73 municipalities and 59 school districts throughout New York State with an increase in incremental tax revenue of $1.4 billion in funding for local communities over the first 25 years of the project.