December 6, 2019 - Albany, N.Y.
Today, Transmission Developers Inc. (TDI) submitted a petition to the New York Public Service Commission (NYPSC) to approve modifications to the route contained in the Champlain Hudson Power Express Article VII Permit. The refinements, which affect less than nine percent of the permitted route are the result of ongoing project engineering, environmental improvements, and discussions with community stakeholders. Taken together, the modifications provide a net environmental benefit and are consistent with the existing permit.
“These environmentally beneficial modifications respond to input from the communities through which the Champlain Hudson Power Express travels,” said Donald Jessome CEO of TDI. “I am proud to report that we have resolutions from communities affected by these modifications that express support for these changes.”
TDI will seek approval of these proposed route refinements in addition to maintaining the flexibility to construct the permitted route. Importantly, the changes are supported by communities affected by the requested modifications. Resolutions of support were passed by the Towns of Putnam, Dresden, Fort Ann, Whitehall, Glenville, Rotterdam, Bethlehem, Stony Point, Clarkstown, Haverstraw and the Villages of Scotia, Catskill, West Haverstraw and Haverstraw.
Detailed descriptions of the requested modifications can be found in TDI’s December 6th filing with the NYPSC, and include: exiting Lake Champlain four miles north of route’s current departure point; to avoid challenges related to shallow water cable installation in Putnam and Dresden; moving cable locations from the railroad right-of-way to a road right-of-way in Fort Ann and Whitehall, to reduce wetland impacts and rock removal; rerouting cables around Downtown Schenectady, to avoid the downtown revitalization project and reduce community impacts; rerouting cable around Selkirk Railyard, to avoid conflicts with the existing and proposed facilities; crossing Catskill Creek via horizontal directional drilling, to avoid a railroad bridge attachment; utilizing road rights-of-way in Rockland County, in response to community concerns and modifications within a railroad ROW; relocating cables under different streets in Queens to avoid buried infrastructure and relocating the converter station to an adjacent property to simplify the design.
“These modifications come on top of previous revisions we made based on stakeholder feedback during the original permitting process. We look forward to building one of the most significant New York State renewable energy infrastructure projects in a manner that respects our local community partners and creates a significant number of jobs for New Yorkers,” concluded Jessome.