New York State OKs transmission projects to bring clean energy to New York City
Energize Weekly, December 8, 2021
Setting the stage for its biggest transmission initiative in 50 years, New York State has struck agreements for two high-tension lines to bring more than 2 gigawatts of wind, solar and hydroelectricity to New York City as early as 2025.
The two transmission lines, combined with the state developing offshore wind and other clean energy resources, is projected to cut the use of fossil fuel for generating the city’s electricity by more than 80 percent by 2030.
“If the largest city in the nation can rely on clean energy for power, any place can,” Mayor Bill de Blasio said in a statement.
New York State has a goal of generating 70 percent of the state’s electricity from renewable sources by 2030.
“The stakes have never been higher for New York as we confront the effects of climate change and the economic and environmental destruction that extreme weather events leave behind,” Gov. Kathy Hochul said in a statement.
The projects are expected also to generate $8.2 billion in economic development across the state.
The contracts with Clean Path New York LLC for its Clean Path NY project and HQ Energy Services for its Champlain Hudson Power Express line were signed by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA).
The contracts must still be approved by the New York Public Service Commission with a public comment period open until Feb. 7, 2022.
If approved NYSERDA payments will begin for each project only after it has received all required permits and approvals, has completed construction and is delivering power to New York City, the authority said.
The Champlain Hudson Power Express – a 339-mile, 1,250-megawatt (MW) high-voltage, direct-current line – which has been under development for several years, will carry Hydro-Québec electricity from the Canadian border on a path under the Hudson River using existing rail lines.
Electricity would be supplied from provincially owned Hydro-Québec’s reservoir system.
“We are honored to be part of New York’s bold plan to bring clean, reliable energy into New York City in 2025,” Sophie Brochu, Hydro-Québec CEO, said in a statement.
The Clean Path NY project – a 1,300-MW, 174-mile underground line – will carry electricity from 3,400 MW of new wind and solar generation in upstate New York and be online in 2027, according to NYSERDA.
New York has invested more than $33 billion in 102 large-scale renewable generation and transmission projects across the state.
The expected average cost for a megawatt-hour for the two transmission projects is $28.29 with an average customer bill impact of about 2 percent or $2 a month, NYSERDA said.
The two lines will transport about 18 million MW-hours of electricity a year, enough to serve roughly 2.5 million homes.
