MONTREAL — Hydro-Quebec’s new electricity delivery project in New York State has passed a key milestone, and construction of the line on the American side should begin this summer, the state-owned company said. .
Hydro-Quebec announced Thursday’s approval by the New York Public Utilities Commission of the contract between the Quebec state corporation and the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA).
The commissioners voted 5 to 2 for approval of the contract, in what was “the last step to be taken before the start of work in the United States,” said Hydro-Quebec.
The major project for Hydro-Québec provides for the delivery of 10.4 terawatt hours of electricity per year to the City of New York by means of a transmission line of 545 km “buried from end to end”, the Champlain Hudson Power Express (CHPE).
Hydro-Québec said in a press release that its partner Transmission Developers (TDI) will begin construction of the line on the American side during the summer, with a view to commissioning in 2025.
In Quebec, construction of the line could begin in the spring of 2023, according to Hydro-Quebec, while it must still undergo reviews by the Bureau d’audiences publiques sur l’environnement (BAPE) and the Régie de Canada’s energy.
The line in Quebec would also be completely buried, with 56.1 km of underground line and 1.6 km of submarine line. It must connect Hertel substation, in La Prairie, to an interconnection point in the Richelieu River, at the Canada-US border.
Regarding the approval in the United States, the president and CEO of Hydro-Québec, Sophie Brochu, argued that “New Yorkers have chosen clean hydroelectricity from Quebec to meet 20% of the electricity needs of the largest American metropolis.
“This is an eloquent demonstration of what we can do together to decarbonize the American Northeast with a project that sets an example to follow in terms of just energy transition,” she said in a press release.
According to Hydro-Québec, the 1,250 megawatts per year of clean, renewable hydroelectricity supplied to New York City would correspond to the consumption of more than one million homes.
In accordance with the memorandum of understanding announced in June 2021, the Mohawk Council of Kahnawake and Hydro-Québec will co-own the line to be built in Quebec.
Kahsennenhawe Sky-Deer, grand chief of the Mohawk Council of Kahnawake, spoke in the release of a “significant turning point” for the community.
“It will indeed enable us to continue to fulfill our environmental stewardship responsibilities to protect Mother Earth, including from the dangers of global warming and other climate change. But more than that, it will ensure that Aboriginal people can participate as business partners and have a say in future economic activities,” she said.
–
