What You Need to Know about Champlain Hudson Power Express (CHPE)
The Champlain Hudson Power Express (CHPE) is a large-scale transmission project designed to deliver renewable hydroelectric energy to New York City from dams in Quebec. The energy supplier of this project, Hydro-Québec, is one of the largest hydro-electricity producers in North America. Developed by Transmission Developers Inc. (TDI) and funded by the Blackstone Group, CHPE will span 339 miles, much of it underwater and underground, to supply 20% of New York City’s electricity.
Since August 2024, TDI has installed approximately 62 miles of cables in the New York portion of Lake Champlain, stretching from the US-Canadian border to Westport, NY. With about 40 miles of cables remaining, construction in Lake Champlain is set to resume after winter and is expected to wrap up in 2025. The transmission line will continue underground in New York State and under the Hudson River and Harlem River.
This is one of many critical projects planned to address renewable energy needs in U.S. cities. Under New York’s Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA), New York is required to be powered by 70 percent renewable energy by 2030. The CHPE is permitted and expected to be fully operational in spring of 2026, delivering 1,250 megawatts of low-cost renewable power directly into the New York City metro area, a major consumer of electricity in the state.
What does this project mean for Lake Champlain?
While we cannot predict all specific impacts, observing and reporting any changes is critical. Concerns for CHPE have been raised including sediment disturbance, thermal and electromagnetic fields, and the spread of invasive species. TDI has collaborated with environmental groups and regulators to implement mitigation measures, such as burying the cables in the lakebed or protecting them with concrete barriers when the cables cannot be buried. In certain areas, cable burial is done using a system of water jets, which limits disturbance of lakebed sediments. The cables are only five inches in diameter, further minimizing potential impacts both in Lake Champlain and underground.
CHPE will also provide $117 million over 35 years to the Champlain-Hudson Environmental Trust (CHET) to protect, restore, and improve aquatic habitats and fisheries resources in water bodies that might be impacted by the construction and operation of the transmission line. Some of these funds will be allocated to Lake Champlain, where scientists, New York State agencies, and other stakeholders will assess fish population and habitats and prevent and manage aquatic invasive species.
“This project will help New York City break from its dependencies to fossil fuels, a major contributor to climate change,” shared Aude Lochet, LCSG Water Resources Outreach Specialist. “It is also a good reminder that providing renewable energy is a major undertaking, which we easily forget when we so conveniently switch on the light”
The CHPE project underscores the complexities of achieving renewable energy goals within existing infrastructure. While hydroelectric power is renewable, dams and hydropower operations can disrupt ecosystems, harm local fisheries, and alter nutrient cycling and chemical processes in rivers. These projects may also affect Indigenous lands and cultural practices tied to rivers and surrounding areas, making them the subject of frequent controversies. As the demand for hydropower is expected to increase, it will be all the more important to reconcile the different perspectives associated with such projects.
Expanding the use of renewable energy is one of the many ways to fight climate change. Communities and individuals can act at their own level, through initiatives such as the NYS Climate Smart Community program, which Lake Champlain Sea Grant contributes to in collaboration with the City of Plattsburgh. This free and voluntary program is administered by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve community resilience to the impacts of climate change.
Learn more about CHPE or send questions/concerns to publicoutreach [at] chpexpress.com or call 800-991-CHPE (2473)