(Photo: Colin Perkel for The Canadian Press)
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After Massachusetts, Hydro-Québec wants to sell electricity to New York State. If the project goes ahead, it could be its biggest blow yet.
The state-owned company announced on Wednesday that it and its U.S. partner Transmission Developers are proposing to build a transmission line to supply one-fifth of the Big Apple with a combination of Quebec hydropower and renewable electricity produced in the north of the New York State.
The project, named Champlain Hudson Power Express (CHPE), would deliver up to 1,250 megawatts (MW), equivalent to the consumption of 1.2 million homes.
“This clean energy contribution would reduce carbon emissions by approximately 3.9 million metric tons annually, which would be equivalent to removing 44% of cars from the streets of New York,” insists Hydro-Quebec in a press release.
In its approach, Hydro-Québec focuses on the green side of the energy it produces. Her boss, Sophie Brochu, also notes that she wants to “help the State and its metropolis to achieve their ambitious climate goals”.
New England’s most populous state has set a target of reducing its pollutant emissions by 40% by 2030 and 85% by 2050, from 1990 levels.
Underground line
According to the proposal, the transmission line would be entirely underground. “Its route begins at the Canada-US border, at the southern limit of Quebec, then passes under Lake Champlain, the Hudson River and the Harlem River before joining the Astoria substation in Queens, New York”, details Hydro-Quebec.
The power line to be built in Quebec will also be underground, assured Lynn St-Laurent, a spokesperson for the state-owned company, in an interview with The Canadian Press. It will link the Hertel substation, located in La Prairie, to the border. Public consultations will be launched in the coming weeks.
The project has received all “the necessary authorizations”. With construction starting this year, the state-owned company projects that the line could be commissioned in 2025.
At the same time, Hydro-Quebec is leading a battle in Maine where a possible energy corridor would pass to export electricity to Massachusetts.
Hydro-Québec wants to send 9.45 terawatt-hours of hydroelectricity per year for 20 years under a contract whose revenues are estimated at around US $ 10 billion.
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