The Hertel substation in La Prairie (Photo Courtesy – Hydro-Québec)
New York State authorities announced on Monday, September 20, that they had selected a Hydro-Quebec project to supply electricity to New York City. The state-owned company is working with the American company Transmission Developers and the Kahnawake Mohawk Council for the construction of an underground line of approximately 545 km.
This line will be built between Hertel substation in La Prairie and New York City, and will notably pass under the Hudson River. Scheduled for 2025, this project will provide 1,250 megawatts of energy to power more than one million homes. It would replace fossil fuels, which currently represent more than 85% of electricity supplies in the New York region, said Hydro-Quebec in a press release.
On June 14, Hydro-Québec and the Mohawk Council of Kahnawake (CMK) announced the signing of a partnership: if the project was selected, they would become co-owners of the transmission line on the Canadian side. The band council will support the project and benefit from the revenues from the project for a period of 40 years.
“The partnership played an important role in the selection of Hydro-Quebec, because New York wanted to ensure that its selection would not interfere with the rights of the Aboriginals”, expressed the CMK by way of press release. a historic achievement for Kahnawake and a major step forward in the relationship with Hydro-Québec ”.
The parties are now embarking on a contract negotiation process with New York State. It is only once the underground line is completed and electricity deliveries have started that suppliers will begin to receive payments.
Read also: Kahnawake and Hydro-Québec agree on an electricity project
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