First Champlain Hudson Power cables cross U.S.-Can. border

ROUSES POINT | Work to prepare the route for underground power cables in Lake Champlain has been in process for months. Residents have been quick to note unique barges fitted with cranes that slowly move along the lake. They are working on the lake section of the Champlain Hudson Power Express (CHPE), or "Chippy." The buried power infrastructure is a $6 billion clean energy project developed by Transmission Developers Inc., or TDI. The cable will extend from Quebec to New York City. According to TDI planning documents, two five-inch-diameter cables will be placed underwater or underground and run 339 miles from the U.S.-Canadian border, south through Lake Champlain, along and under the Hudson River, and end at a converter station being built in Astoria, Queens. By the end of April this year, work crews had finished setting concrete mattresses in Lake Champlain to protect CHPE cables and its underwater infrastructure. According TDI, the first shipments of high-voltage, direct current (HVDC) cable to Lake Champlain started in May. The material was moved on barges specially designed to navigate through the locks of the Lake Champlain Canal system. Each barge carries approximately 12.6 miles of marine cable from Brooklyn to Plattsburgh. FIRST CABLE LINE LAID On Tuesday, Aug. 13, the first cable was placed across the U.S.-Canadian border, marking the official start of marine installation in Lake Champlain. A 1.3-mile section of HVDC power cables were floated from a specially built installation vessel positioned south of the wooden train trestle bridge in Rouses Point. The cable was rolled out along the surface of Lake Champlain to the U.S.-Canadian border in the Richelieu River. Another 330-ft section passed over the border to CHPE's partner, Hydro-Québec, for connection to the Hertel-New York Interconnection Line Project. TDI shared images of the cable border crossing, showing the vessel laying red cable into the lake. "Once in position, the cables will be lowered into the water where divers will work to bury them in the lake bed as the project progresses," the company said in an update. "The main cable lay installation vessel, along with two cable transport barges will now begin its almost 100-mile southward journey, simultaneously laying and burying HVDC cable as it brings the power cables to their landing point in Putnam Station." MILESTONE TDI CEO Justin Sauber said Aug. 13 was a significant milestone in their journey to bring clean energy to New York City. "The commencement of the marine installation works in Lake Champlain is yet another example of how the tireless efforts of so many over the past decade are coming to fruition as this remarkable project marches forward to 2026," he said in an news release. Hydro-Québec Energy Services Chief Operating Officer Serge Abergel congratulated CHPE's construction team and looked forward to completing cross-border interconnection work later this year. "This is an important milestone for CHPE and this innovative project that is serving as a model for how continued energy diversification and interconnected grids will play a critical role in securing a clean energy future," Abergel said. 1,250 MW CLEAN ENERGY The CHPE transmission project has been in development for over a decade. It is the largest clean energy project ever constructed in New York State, as well as the largest fully-buried transmission line in North America. The 1,250 MW of clean, renewable energy it will deliver from Québec to Queens will provide 20 percent of New York City's annual energy needs. CHPE broke ground on the transmission line in November 2022 in Whitehall. Work on the converter station in Queens, where clean energy will enter the grid, began in September last year with an international assembly that included Gov. Kathy Hochul; U.S. Department of Energy Deputy Secretary David Turk; Premier of Québec Francois Legault; officials from Transmission Developers and Hydro-Québec, and First Nation leaders who have helped bring the project to fruition. The Mohawk community of Kahnawà:ke is co-owner of the line north of the border, and Grand Chief Kahsennenhawe Sky-Deer celebrated this among historic contributions his nation has made to New York infrastructure. "I am proud to attend this construction kickoff to represent the important role that my Mohawk community of Kahnawà:ke has played in this project as co-owners of the transmission line on the northern side of the border that will transport clean renewable electricity to the people of New York," Sky-Deer said. "Over the past century, our Mohawk ironworkers have helped build up the New York City skyline. And now we have an opportunity to contribute in a different manner as stewards of the environment. As such, Kahnawà:ke is grateful to contribute to New York's continuing transition towards green energy." According to economic analysis, the decrease in wholesale electricity costs are forecast to save New Yorkers $17.3 billion statewide over 30 years. CHPE is projected to create $1.6 billion in economic output in the State of New York from the line's construction, and an additional $21.4 billion during its first 25 years of operations. A spokesman from TDI said CHPE's installation of underwater HVDC cables in Lake Champlain will be completed in late fall. "CHPE remains on track to be operational in 2026," the spokesman told The Sun. "Cable laying is not expected to significantly impact anyone living or recreating on the lake." Interactive maps and construction updates are available online: chpexpress.com

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First Champlain Hudson Power cables cross U.S.-Can. border

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