Governor Hochul Announces Start of Construction on Converter Station for 339-mile Champlain Hudson Power Express

 

Start of Construction Paves Way for First-Ever Transformation of a Fossil Fuel Site into a Grid-Scale Zero-Emissions Facility in New York City

Will Convert 1,250 Megawatts of Clean Energy from Direct Current to Alternating Current Power

Accelerates Progress Toward New York’s Target of 70 Percent of State’s Electricity to Come from Renewable Sources by 2030

 Governor Kathy Hochul, alongside United States Department of Energy Deputy Secretary David Turk, Premier of Quebec Francois Legault, Grand Chief Kahsennenhawe Sky-Deer of the Mohawk Council of Kahnawà:ke, and executive leadership from Transmission Developers and Hydro-Québec, announced the start of construction on the converter station for the 339-Mile Champlain Hudson Power Express transmission line – paving the way for the first-ever transformation of a fossil fuel site into a grid-scale zero-emission facility in New York City. Once completed, the state-of-the-art facility will convert 1,250 megawatts of clean energy from direct current to alternating current power that will be fed directly into the City’s power grid. Today’s announcement accelerates progress toward New York’s target of 70 percent of the State’s electricity to come from renewable sources by 2030 as required by the nation-leading Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act.

“Renewable energy plays a critical role in the transformation of our power grid while creating a cleaner environment for our future generations,” Governor Hochul said. “The transformation of a fossil fuel site into a zero-emission facility highlights the world of possibilities we have to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels, mitigate the impact of climate change and accelerate our collective progress of shifting our power grid to go green.”

Located in Astoria, Queens, construction on the converter station officially began on June 22, including significant remediation work that was required to prepare the site for construction of this zero-emissions facility. In total, six tanks which previously stored 12 million gallons of No. 6 oil, as well as nearly four miles of piping were removed from the site. During peak construction, approximately 150 union workers will develop the facility with Kiewit Corporation as lead contractor for the site, which is expected to begin operating in 2026.

Construction on CHPE kicked off on November 30, 2022, in Whitehall, New York and since then project crews have been executing and preparing for construction activity throughout New York State. CHPE will provide competitively priced hydropower from Québec that is expected to deliver enough clean energy to power over one million homes and is expected to reduce harmful emissions by 3.7 million metric tons – the equivalent of removing approximately 44 percent of the cars from New York City streets. In addition, the project is also expected to provide a total of $3.5 billion in economic benefits to New Yorkers and create approximately 1,400 family-sustaining jobs during construction, with a commitment to use a significant amount of union labor.

The historic CHPE project was contracted under the State’s first-of-its-kind renewable energy and transmission program, known as Tier 4, which is administered by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA). The Tier 4 program is part of the Public Service Commission’s Clean Energy Standard, which is designed to cost effectively and responsibly facilitate the delivery of a significant increase of renewable energy to New York City, an area of the state that relies on aging fossil fuel-fired generation located largely in underserved communities. These communities experience the most significant air quality issues and health impacts from fossil fuel emissions and has a marked need for improved grid reliability and resiliency.

As part of the construction kickoff, CHPE today announced the first recipients of funding from the Green Economy Fund (GEF), a $40 million fund created by Hydro-Québec and Transmission Developers to support disadvantaged communities, low-income individuals, and transitioning fossil fuel workers in accessing and building careers in New York State’s green economy. The GEF’s direction is informed by an Advisory Board made up of experienced local community members, experts in workforce development, and environmental justice leaders across New York State.

Four awards totaling $750,000 will be provided to Pathways to Apprenticeship, Stacks + Joules, Nontraditional Employment for Women, and the NYC District Council of Carpenters Apprenticeship Journeyman Retraining Educational & Industry Fund (AJREIF). These four organizations are focused on workforce development and training initiatives geared towards building an equitable and inclusive climate industry, and the awarded programs have laid out clear paths to high-quality careers for low-income and disadvantaged New Yorkers. The next Request for Proposals as part of the GEF is set for early 2024 and will be focused specifically on training and development programs operating outside of New York City.