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Construction begins on Canada-New York hydro transmission line

Construction begins on Canada-New York hydro transmission line
(Credit: Pixabay)

In New York, construction has finally begun on the 339-mile-long Champlain Hudson Power Express (CHPE) transmission line, being developed by Transmission Developers Inc.

The line, which has been in the works since 2010, will deliver hydropower from Hydro-Québec in Canada to New York City. Construction has begun after the execution of a major union labor agreement between the developer and New York State Building and Construction Trades.

This milestone comes after the New York State Public Service Commission approved the project’s first Environmental Management and Construction Plan for a 17.6-mile stretch of the transmission route between Putnam and Whitehall. The initial stage of construction activities, including site preparation and construction of a laydown yard, will begin in Washington County, near Whitehall, and is anticipated to continue through November 2024. The full line is expected to be operational by 2026.

This article was adapted from one published on sister site POWERGRID International.

CHPE’s contractors — Kiewit, NKT, and Hitachi — have been executing project labor agreements (PLA) with electrical and building trade unions for the line’s construction by union workers. Covering more than 15 different local union chapters across 22 separate trade disciplines, the PLA are expected to total more than 3 million work hours combined. In October, the unions and the C project team agreed to the first PLA, reflecting almost 2 million of those labor work hours.

CHPE teams continue to conduct stakeholder and community engagement meetings to inform the public about its construction and operational activities. The team said it plans to offer new career opportunities for local and underserved communities along the planned route with a focus on building skills to serve the evolving green economy. Opportunities for secondary jobs becoming available as a direct result of this project will be advertised on the Champlain Hudson Power Express website.

New York State Energy Research and Development Authority President and CEO, and Climate Action Council Co-Chair, Doreen M. Harris said, “With construction beginning on the Champlain Hudson Power Express project, we are helping solidify New York’s transition away from fossil fuels and demonstrate to the nation how strategic private-public partnerships can help us tackle some of our toughest energy challenges head-on. As the first of two historic transmission developments to break ground, Champlain Hudson Power Express is helping to usher in the grid of the future — all while New York continues to build the most robust public renewables pipeline in the nation that will power homes and businesses for years to come.”

The project is expected to lower electricity generation costs statewide by $17 billion over its first 25 years of operation and provide increased reliability and resiliency for the downstate grid.

Total cost for the CHPE is estimated to exceed $4 billion.