Huge Astoria Clean Energy Project Is Approved By State

ASTORIA, QUEENS — A 339-mile transmission line that will ship energy from Canada down to a plant in Astoria was approved by state regulators on Thursday, following months of debate.

Known as Champlain Hudson Power Express, the project will draw energy from hydropower dams in Quebec, run underground along the Hudson River and feed a newly built power station at the northern edge of Astoria, near the Con Edison plants.

Supporters, including Gov. Kathy Hochul's administration, say it will be crucial in helping the city reach its clean energy goals — but the project drew opposition from what HuffPost called "a ragtag alliance of environmentalists, gas-fired generators and Indigenous groups."

Though the state awarded a contract last fall to operator Hydro-Québec, opponents began pushing the state's public service commission to reject it. On Thursday, however, the commission voted to approve it — a move that Hochul called "a major step forward" in achieving New York's goal of getting 70 percent of its energy from renewable sources by 2030.

The $3 billion project could begin construction midway through this year, according to Bloomberg. The site of ConEd's former Charles Poletti Power Plant, north of 20th Avenue facing Luyster Creek, will be refashioned with a new converter station.

A separate, three-mile cable, meanwhile, will run beneath Astoria to connect the new station to ConEd's existing Rainey Substation on Vernon Boulevard.

Those who sought to derail Champlain Hudson included the environmental group Riverkeeper, an initial supporter whose leaders turned against it, citing the fact that hydro dams can themselves be indirect sources of carbon emissions, as Bloomberg reported. (Hydro-Quebec disputed that reasoning.)

Besides Hochul's administration, other supporters of the project include former Astoria Councilmember Costa Constantinides, the New York League of Conservation Voters, and the Mohawk Tribe of upstate New York, which will own part of the transmission line.

"Today’s vote is a win for New York and moves forward a project that will create thousands of in-state jobs, reduce harmful pollutants, and invest nearly $189 million in protecting our environment, our neighborhoods, and our planet – all while delivering renewable, reliable, power," said Donald Jessome, CEO of Transmission Developers, which will build the line.