Champlain Hudson Power Express
Encyclopedia
The Champlain Hudson Power Express (CHPE) is a high-voltage direct current
(HVDC) submarine power cable
project linking the Montreal
area to the New York City
suburb of Yonkers
. If approved, the line is expected to be commissioned in 2015.
The venture, led by Canadian-based company Transmission Developers Inc., would carry renewable energy - hydropower
and wind power
from eastern Canada - and feed it directly in the New York City electricity market. Construction costs for this project are estimated at 1.9 billion U.S. dollars for the section located in the State of New York
.
The Quebec
section of the line would be built and operated by TransÉnergie
, the transmission arm of Hydro-Québec
.
area and on Long Island
is compounded by the fact that the area uses two-thirds of the state's electricity while most generation and import capacity is located upstate
and near the Great Lakes
.
Over the years, a number of proposals to increase transmission capacity to the New York City and Long Island markets have encountered hostile reactions and determined opposition from environmental groups and communities along the planned paths.
For instance, construction of the Cross Sound Cable
, a 328-MW submarine DC cable linking Connecticut to Long Island via the Long Island Sound
, was authorized in 2002, but its commissioning was delayed for a year because of a dispute involving the promoter and the state of Connecticut. Another project, the Neptune Regional Transmission System
has been operational since 2007. The 65 miles (105 km) 500 kV cable connects New Jersey
and Long Island. It runs buried in the Atlantic Ocean
and has a capacity of 660 megawatts.
However, a 400 kilovolts DC line 306 kilometres (190 mi) between the Rock Tavern substation, 60 miles north of New York, and the Marcy
hub in central New York, has been marred by controversy. Launched in 2006, the proposed New York Regional Interconnect (NYRI) had a 1,200 megawatts capacity. It was shelved by its developers in early 2009 after two years of staunch opposition from several groups concerned by the impact of pylon
s along the proposed route.
Premier
David Peterson
, is backed by the Blackstone Group
investment bank and Quebec-based engineering firm RSW Inc. The project was announced on February 23, 2010.
The CHPE tries to skirt difficulties encountered by other proposals by presenting itself as an "environmentally benign" solution. By avoiding overhead wires and 10 storeys high towers, the promoter hopes to avoid the fate of previous projects, such as NYRI. The initial project involved two 1,000 MW lines, the first one to New York, and the second going all the way to Connecticut, via the Long Island Sound. The construction cost for the two lines and converter stations in the U.S. was estimated at 3.8 billion dollars. The line to Connecticut was cancelled in July 2010.
According to the company's president and CEO, Donald Jessome, choosing an underwater route avoids " disrupt[ing] communities with overhead transmissions". The developer says that the cable also provides economic and environmental benefits to the state, bringing cheap and renewable power to critical load centers. He also stressed the company's ongoing talks with Nalcor Energy
, who is considering building hydroelectric and wind power facilities in Labrador
.
and the Hudson River
between Albany
and Manhattan
.
The cable would cross the border under Lake Champlain and would run southward to the northern entrance of the Champlain Canal at Whitehall
. On its way to the Hudson, the cables would be briefly taken out of the canal and buried for 2.1 miles (3.4 km), in order to avoid 3 lock
s. In order to avoid the PCB
clean-up site in Hudson River, a 73 miles (117 km) section the line would be taken out of the Champlain Canal
, north of Fort Edward and buried along Canadian Pacific
and CSX
rail rights of way. The cable would re-enter the Hudson River south of Albany
, in the Selkirk
area.
The proposed cable would resume its path below the river bed to reach a HVDC converter station to be built in Yonkers. From this point, the current would be sent to New York by AC
cables.
in July 2010, London Economics International estimates that the projected line would save New York customers $8.1 billion (2010) on their electricity bills over the first 10 years of operations, between 2015 and 2024. In addition, the proposed cable would have positive impacts on the electricity grid, since power carried by the cables would force the retirement of older, uneconomic power plants in New York. Moreover, the capacity addition provided by the 1,000 MW line is expected to lower the monthly cost of UCAP reserves in the southeastern part of the State.
The planned line, which would carry 7.64 terawatt-hours of renewable electricity per year, would lower emissions by 6,800 tonne
s, emissions by 10,800 tonnes and emissions by nearly 37 million tonnes during the first decade of operation.
The proposed project has applied to the U.S. Department of Energy for a Presidential permit, and hence is the subject of an Environmental Impact Statement currently under preparation. See the "External links," below.
, and would reach the Richelieu River
with a short overland power line. The cables would then be buried in the river bed through the Richelieu and the northern end of Lake Champlain to reach the junction point at the international border.
Hydro-Québec and the Quebec government
initial reaction to the project was first met with some skepticism, considering the 400 to 500 million Canadian dollars price tag for the Quebec section of the line. In addition, the CHPE would compete with a proposed 1,200 MW HVDC line to be built by the company in association with NSTAR
and Northeast Utilities
, which is expected to increase exports of Quebec hydropower to New England
. Reflecting on the project in April 2010, Hydro-Quebec's CEO, Thierry Vandal, stated that it was technically "very complex" and "very costly".
Despite its mixed initial reaction, the Quebec utility intervened in support of the proposal before the FERC in May 2010, stressing that it meets the requirements of the U.S. regulatory framework.
High-voltage direct current
A high-voltage, direct current electric power transmission system uses direct current for the bulk transmission of electrical power, in contrast with the more common alternating current systems. For long-distance transmission, HVDC systems may be less expensive and suffer lower electrical losses...
(HVDC) submarine power cable
Submarine power cable
Submarine power cables are major transmission cables for carrying electric power below the surface of the water. These are called "submarine" because they usually carry electric power beneath salt water but it is also possible to use submarine power cables beneath fresh water...
project linking the Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
area to the New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
suburb of Yonkers
Yonkers, New York
Yonkers is the fourth most populous city in the state of New York , and the most populous city in Westchester County, with a population of 195,976...
. If approved, the line is expected to be commissioned in 2015.
The venture, led by Canadian-based company Transmission Developers Inc., would carry renewable energy - hydropower
Hydropower
Hydropower, hydraulic power, hydrokinetic power or water power is power that is derived from the force or energy of falling water, which may be harnessed for useful purposes. Since ancient times, hydropower has been used for irrigation and the operation of various mechanical devices, such as...
and wind power
Wind power
Wind power is the conversion of wind energy into a useful form of energy, such as using wind turbines to make electricity, windmills for mechanical power, windpumps for water pumping or drainage, or sails to propel ships....
from eastern Canada - and feed it directly in the New York City electricity market. Construction costs for this project are estimated at 1.9 billion U.S. dollars for the section located in the State of New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
.
The Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
section of the line would be built and operated by TransÉnergie
Hydro-Québec's electricity transmission system
Hydro-Québec's electricity transmission system is an expansive, international power transmission system located in Quebec, Canada with extensions into the Northeastern United States...
, the transmission arm of Hydro-Québec
Hydro-Québec
Hydro-Québec is a government-owned public utility established in 1944 by the Government of Quebec. Based in Montreal, the company is in charge of the generation, transmission and distribution of electricity across Quebec....
.
Background
Power rates in the New York metro area and Long Island have long been among the highest in the U.S. and according to the U.S. Department of Energy, the city is the "epicenter" of grid congestion in the eastern United States. The congestion problem in the New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
area and on Long Island
Long Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
is compounded by the fact that the area uses two-thirds of the state's electricity while most generation and import capacity is located upstate
Upstate New York
Upstate New York is the region of the U.S. state of New York that is located north of the core of the New York metropolitan area.-Definition:There is no clear or official boundary between Upstate New York and Downstate New York...
and near the Great Lakes
Great Lakes
The Great Lakes are a collection of freshwater lakes located in northeastern North America, on the Canada – United States border. Consisting of Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario, they form the largest group of freshwater lakes on Earth by total surface, coming in second by volume...
.
Over the years, a number of proposals to increase transmission capacity to the New York City and Long Island markets have encountered hostile reactions and determined opposition from environmental groups and communities along the planned paths.
For instance, construction of the Cross Sound Cable
Cross Sound Cable
The Cross Sound Cable is a long bipolar high-voltage direct current submarine power cable between New Haven, Connecticut, USA and Shoreham, Long Island New York , USA. The Cross Sound Cable can transmit a maximum power of 330 MW at a voltage of +/- 150 kV DC. The maximum current for Cross Sound...
, a 328-MW submarine DC cable linking Connecticut to Long Island via the Long Island Sound
Long Island Sound
Long Island Sound is an estuary of the Atlantic Ocean, located in the United States between Connecticut to the north and Long Island, New York to the south. The mouth of the Connecticut River at Old Saybrook, Connecticut, empties into the sound. On its western end the sound is bounded by the Bronx...
, was authorized in 2002, but its commissioning was delayed for a year because of a dispute involving the promoter and the state of Connecticut. Another project, the Neptune Regional Transmission System
Neptune Cable
The Neptune Cable is a 500kV and 660 MW high-voltage direct current submarine power cable between Sayreville, New Jersey and Levittown, New York on Long Island. It carries 22 percent of Long Island's electricity....
has been operational since 2007. The 65 miles (105 km) 500 kV cable connects New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
and Long Island. It runs buried in the Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
and has a capacity of 660 megawatts.
However, a 400 kilovolts DC line 306 kilometres (190 mi) between the Rock Tavern substation, 60 miles north of New York, and the Marcy
Marcy, New York
Marcy is a town in Oneida County, New York, United States. The population was 9,469 at the 2000 census. The town was named after Governor William L. Marcy....
hub in central New York, has been marred by controversy. Launched in 2006, the proposed New York Regional Interconnect (NYRI) had a 1,200 megawatts capacity. It was shelved by its developers in early 2009 after two years of staunch opposition from several groups concerned by the impact of pylon
Electricity pylon
A transmission tower is a tall structure, usually a steel lattice tower, used to support an overhead power line. They are used in high-voltage AC and DC systems, and come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes...
s along the proposed route.
Project
TDI, whose board is chaired by former OntarioOntario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
Premier
Premier of Ontario
The Premier of Ontario is the first Minister of the Crown for the Canadian province of Ontario. The Premier is appointed as the province's head of government by the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, and presides over the Executive council, or Cabinet. The Executive Council Act The Premier of Ontario...
David Peterson
David Peterson
David Robert Peterson, PC, O.Ont was the 20th Premier of the Province of Ontario, Canada, from June 26, 1985 to October 1, 1990. He was the first Liberal premier of Ontario in 42 years....
, is backed by the Blackstone Group
Blackstone Group
The Blackstone Group L.P. is an American-based alternative asset management and financial services company that specializes in private equity, real estate, and credit and marketable alternative investment strategies, as well as financial advisory services, such as mergers and acquisitions ,...
investment bank and Quebec-based engineering firm RSW Inc. The project was announced on February 23, 2010.
The CHPE tries to skirt difficulties encountered by other proposals by presenting itself as an "environmentally benign" solution. By avoiding overhead wires and 10 storeys high towers, the promoter hopes to avoid the fate of previous projects, such as NYRI. The initial project involved two 1,000 MW lines, the first one to New York, and the second going all the way to Connecticut, via the Long Island Sound. The construction cost for the two lines and converter stations in the U.S. was estimated at 3.8 billion dollars. The line to Connecticut was cancelled in July 2010.
According to the company's president and CEO, Donald Jessome, choosing an underwater route avoids " disrupt[ing] communities with overhead transmissions". The developer says that the cable also provides economic and environmental benefits to the state, bringing cheap and renewable power to critical load centers. He also stressed the company's ongoing talks with Nalcor Energy
Nalcor Energy
Nalcor Energy is a provincial energy corporation which is headquartered in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador. A provincial Crown corporation under the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador Nalcor Energy was created in 2007 to manage the provinces energy resources...
, who is considering building hydroelectric and wind power facilities in Labrador
Labrador
Labrador is the distinct, northerly region of the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. It comprises the mainland portion of the province, separated from the island of Newfoundland by the Strait of Belle Isle...
.
Route
The proposed cable would have a length of 335 miles (539 km) between the Canada-U.S. border and its southern terminal, in Yonkers, New York. The two 5 inches (127 mm) cables would be buried at a depth of 3 feet (91 cm) under Lake ChamplainLake Champlain
Lake Champlain is a natural, freshwater lake in North America, located mainly within the borders of the United States but partially situated across the Canada—United States border in the Canadian province of Quebec.The New York portion of the Champlain Valley includes the eastern portions of...
and the Hudson River
Hudson River
The Hudson is a river that flows from north to south through eastern New York. The highest official source is at Lake Tear of the Clouds, on the slopes of Mount Marcy in the Adirondack Mountains. The river itself officially begins in Henderson Lake in Newcomb, New York...
between Albany
Albany, New York
Albany is the capital city of the U.S. state of New York, the seat of Albany County, and the central city of New York's Capital District. Roughly north of New York City, Albany sits on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River...
and Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
.
The cable would cross the border under Lake Champlain and would run southward to the northern entrance of the Champlain Canal at Whitehall
Whitehall (town), New York
Whitehall is a town in Washington County, New York, United States. It is part of the Glens Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area. The town population was 4,035 at the 2000 census.The Town of Whitehall contains a village also named Whitehall.- History :...
. On its way to the Hudson, the cables would be briefly taken out of the canal and buried for 2.1 miles (3.4 km), in order to avoid 3 lock
Lock (water transport)
A lock is a device for raising and lowering boats between stretches of water of different levels on river and canal waterways. The distinguishing feature of a lock is a fixed chamber in which the water level can be varied; whereas in a caisson lock, a boat lift, or on a canal inclined plane, it is...
s. In order to avoid the PCB
Polychlorinated biphenyl
Polychlorinated biphenyls are a class of organic compounds with 2 to 10 chlorine atoms attached to biphenyl, which is a molecule composed of two benzene rings. The chemical formula for PCBs is C12H10-xClx...
clean-up site in Hudson River, a 73 miles (117 km) section the line would be taken out of the Champlain Canal
Champlain Canal
The Champlain Canal is a canal that connects the south end of Lake Champlain to the Hudson River in New York. It was simultaneously constructed with the Erie Canal and is now part of the New York State Canal System and the Lakes to Locks Passage....
, north of Fort Edward and buried along Canadian Pacific
Canadian Pacific Railway
The Canadian Pacific Railway , formerly also known as CP Rail between 1968 and 1996, is a historic Canadian Class I railway founded in 1881 and now operated by Canadian Pacific Railway Limited, which began operations as legal owner in a corporate restructuring in 2001...
and CSX
CSX Transportation
CSX Transportation operates a Class I railroad in the United States known as the CSX Railroad. It is the main subsidiary of the CSX Corporation. The company is headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida, and owns approximately 21,000 route miles...
rail rights of way. The cable would re-enter the Hudson River south of Albany
Albany, New York
Albany is the capital city of the U.S. state of New York, the seat of Albany County, and the central city of New York's Capital District. Roughly north of New York City, Albany sits on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River...
, in the Selkirk
Selkirk, New York
Selkirk is a hamlet in the town of Bethlehem, Albany County, New York. It is located south of the city of Albany, it is an suburb of that city....
area.
The proposed cable would resume its path below the river bed to reach a HVDC converter station to be built in Yonkers. From this point, the current would be sent to New York by AC
AC power
Power in an electric circuit is the rate of flow of energy past a given point of the circuit. In alternating current circuits, energy storage elements such as inductance and capacitance may result in periodic reversals of the direction of energy flow...
cables.
Economics and emission levels
In an economic analysis filed on behalf of the promoter to the New York Public Service CommissionNew York Public Service Commission
The New York Public Service Commission is a government agency that regulates the various utilities of the state of New York. The commission also oversees the cable industry.The commission consists of up to five members, led by a commissioner...
in July 2010, London Economics International estimates that the projected line would save New York customers $8.1 billion (2010) on their electricity bills over the first 10 years of operations, between 2015 and 2024. In addition, the proposed cable would have positive impacts on the electricity grid, since power carried by the cables would force the retirement of older, uneconomic power plants in New York. Moreover, the capacity addition provided by the 1,000 MW line is expected to lower the monthly cost of UCAP reserves in the southeastern part of the State.
The planned line, which would carry 7.64 terawatt-hours of renewable electricity per year, would lower emissions by 6,800 tonne
Tonne
The tonne, known as the metric ton in the US , often put pleonastically as "metric tonne" to avoid confusion with ton, is a metric system unit of mass equal to 1000 kilograms. The tonne is not an International System of Units unit, but is accepted for use with the SI...
s, emissions by 10,800 tonnes and emissions by nearly 37 million tonnes during the first decade of operation.
The proposed project has applied to the U.S. Department of Energy for a Presidential permit, and hence is the subject of an Environmental Impact Statement currently under preparation. See the "External links," below.
Hydro-Québec's position
According to the promoter, the Quebec section of the line would start at a DC conversion station to be built near Hydro-Québec TransÉnergie's Hertel substation (735-315 kV) near La PrairieLa Prairie, Quebec
La Prairie is an off-island suburb of Montreal, in southwestern Quebec, Canada at the confluence of the Saint-Jacques River and the Saint Lawrence River in the Regional County Municipality of Roussillon...
, and would reach the Richelieu River
Richelieu River
The Richelieu River is a river in Quebec, Canada. It flows from the north end of Lake Champlain about north, ending at the confluence with the St. Lawrence River at Sorel-Tracy, Quebec downstream and northeast of Montreal...
with a short overland power line. The cables would then be buried in the river bed through the Richelieu and the northern end of Lake Champlain to reach the junction point at the international border.
Hydro-Québec and the Quebec government
Government of Quebec
The Government of Quebec refers to the provincial government of the province of Quebec. Its powers and structure are set out in the Constitution Act, 1867....
initial reaction to the project was first met with some skepticism, considering the 400 to 500 million Canadian dollars price tag for the Quebec section of the line. In addition, the CHPE would compete with a proposed 1,200 MW HVDC line to be built by the company in association with NSTAR
NSTAR
NSTAR is a utility company that provides retail electricity and natural gas to 1.4 million customers in eastern and central Massachusetts, including the Boston urban area....
and Northeast Utilities
Northeast Utilities
Northeast Utilities is a publicly-traded, Fortune 500 energy company headquartered in Berlin, Connecticut, with several regulated subsidiaries offering retail electricity and natural gas service to more than 2.1 million customers in New England....
, which is expected to increase exports of Quebec hydropower to New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
. Reflecting on the project in April 2010, Hydro-Quebec's CEO, Thierry Vandal, stated that it was technically "very complex" and "very costly".
Despite its mixed initial reaction, the Quebec utility intervened in support of the proposal before the FERC in May 2010, stressing that it meets the requirements of the U.S. regulatory framework.
See also
- HVDC
- Quebec – New England Transmission
- Cross Sound CableCross Sound CableThe Cross Sound Cable is a long bipolar high-voltage direct current submarine power cable between New Haven, Connecticut, USA and Shoreham, Long Island New York , USA. The Cross Sound Cable can transmit a maximum power of 330 MW at a voltage of +/- 150 kV DC. The maximum current for Cross Sound...