Champlain Hudson Power Express

Champlain Hudson Power Express Project Overview

Champlain Hudson Power Express (CHPE) will construct a high-voltage transmission line to bring hydropower from Quebec, Canada to New York City.

In 2013, the NYS Public Service Commission granted approval for the project, which includes two cables that will be installed underwater or underground along the approximately 340-mile route. A roughly 90-mile section of the cable will run in the Hudson River, ending at a converter station in Astoria, Queens.

Riverkeeper’s Role

Since the project’s initial proposal, Riverkeeper’s goal has been to evaluate and minimize CHPE’s impacts on the Hudson River Estuary. We helped negotiate key changes to the project route to avoid PCB hotspots, as well as critical habitat areas for endangered sturgeon. We also worked to ensure that the project included appropriate construction windows and compliance monitoring studies to minimize impacts to endangered sturgeon and other aquatic life, and worked to establish an Environmental Trust Fund to help offset potential impacts.

Riverkeeper staff currently serve on the Champlain Hudson Environmental Trust Governance Committee, which oversees restoration projects that compensate for impacts to the river ecosystem. Riverkeeper continues to review and comment on the CHPE project to ensure that construction adheres to all relevant laws and regulations, as well as to advocate for the protection and preservation of the Hudson River and our communities.

As CHPE begins construction, Riverkeeper remains focused on ensuring that the cables are buried deep enough in the riverbed to minimize impacts to aquatic life and reduce the risk of anchor strikes. We will continue to monitor potential environmental impacts from the project.

• Timeline of Critical Events

  2024
  In March, CHPE begins installing 20’ long, 8’ wide and 12” thick concrete pads on the riverbed of the Hudson River to protect other buried infrastructure such as buried telecommunications, electrical lines, or gas lines placed on or beneath the riverbed..

  In April, CHPE files its proposed plans to install the cable in the Hudson River. In response, Riverkeeper files a letter urging the Public Service Commission to deny CHPE’s proposed plans and require that CHPE revise them to sufficiently minimize and mitigate potential impacts to navigation, the general public, and the environment.

  2023
  The Public Service Commission approves CHPE’s plan to install concrete pads on the riverbed to protect other buried telecommunications, electrical, or gas lines.

  2022
  Riverkeeper urges the Public Service Commission to reject the proposed “Tier 4” contract for CHPE over numerous concerns surrounding the project. (Tier 4 is a NYS Public Service Commission program to increase the flow of renewable energy into New York City.)

  The NYS Public Service Commission approves CHPE’s Tier 4 contract.

  2020
  NYS Public Service Commission creates the Tier 4 program detailed above.

  2014
  The U.S. Department of Energy issues a Presidential Permit to CHPE. A Presidential Permit must be issued before electricity transmission facilities can be constructed or connected at the U.S. border.

  2013
  The Public Service Commission grants Champlain Hudson Power Express, Inc. and CHPE Properties, Inc. a “Certificate of Environmental Compatibility and Public Need” to construct and operate the CHPE project.

  2010
  Champlain Hudson Power Express, Inc. submits an application for a Certificate of Environmental Compatibility and Public Need to construct, operate, and maintain a new roughly 340-mile high-voltage direct current transmission cable running from the New York/Canada border to Astoria, Queens.

  The Public Service Commission authorizes Riverkeeper to conduct discovery and submit testimony, briefs, and other formal written comments regarding the project.

  Riverkeeper is awarded funds to hire expert consultants to conduct scientific, legal, and technical evaluations of CHPE’s application and proposed plans.