NAMRA opposes the proposed Champlain Hudson Power Express, a 330+ mile transmission corridor, much of it buried under the Hudson River, to transmit one-billion watts of Canadian generated hydroelectricity to New York City. The map below shows the substations and transmission lines.
BREAKING: May 9, 2019: New York City Mayor’s proposal for Canadian hydro sparks backlash; social and environmental justice groups say allowing the $3 billion CPHE project to qualify as renewable energy is a bad idea and undermines the local clean energy economy. This is the same position NAMRA explained in its April 25, 2019 Press Release. Story from Politico/States below.
Here are the most recent (as of May 6, 2019) project documents.
Here is the project link.
https://www.hydroquebec.com/projets/interconnexion-hertel-new-york/
On April 22, 2019, New York City Mayor Bill DiBlasio announced a new green deal for the City and said that this would include Hydro-Quebec power from Canada.
In a simultaneous press release, Hydro-Quebec embraced the chance to get the stalled CHPE project going.
CHPE is fraught with problems and NAMRA opposes the project on environmental and social justice grounds. Unfortunately most of the permits are in place. Worse yet, in a settlement agreement some river protection groups agreed to accept funds in exchange for withdrawing their opposition to the project. NAMRA finds this unfortunate.
The New York section will cost $2.2 billion to construct. The project’s main investor is Blackstone Group, L.P., an American multinational private equity, alternative asset management and financial services firm based in New York City. As the largest alternative investment firm in the world, Blackstone specializes in private equity, credit and hedge fund investment strategies.
The $2.2 billion that will be invested in the Blackstone CHPE project is money that should be spent on local renewable energy projects and local, long term sustainable jobs. Locking in this infrastructure for destructive Canadian hydropower creates a disincentive for innovative, local energy solutions. This is a greenwash and climate disaster.
NAMRA’s press release is here.