Work Starts On Huge Astoria Clean Energy Project

ASTORIA, QUEENS — Construction is set to begin on the 339-mile transmission line that will bring clean electricity from Canada all the way down to a power station in Astoria, officials announced last week.

The $6 billion project, known as Champlain Hudson Power Express, will break ground in Washington County, which runs along the Vermont border, before continuing downstate and becoming operational by the spring of 2026, Gov. Kathy Hochul's office said.

Once completed, the line will draw energy from hydropower dams in Quebec, run underground below the Hudson River, then connect to a newly built power station at the north edge of Astoria, near the existing Con Edison campus.

The line will contain enough hydroelectricity to power 1 million homes, playing a key role in helping New York reach its goal of getting 70 percent of its electricity from renewable sources by 2030.

"The Champlain Hudson Power Express transmission line is a monumental step toward protecting our environment and creating family-sustaining, green jobs in both upstate and downstate New York," Gov. Kathy Hochul said in a statement.

Last week's construction kickoff came after the project's developer reached an agreement with labor unions. More labor deals will following the coming months for the below-Hudson component, and the segment in Astoria, officials said.

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 as part of the project.

A separate, three-mile cable, meanwhile, will run beneath Astoria to connect the new station to ConEd's existing Rainey Substation on Vernon Boulevard. From Queens, the line will connect to New York City's main power grid.

Champlain Hudson Power Express was approved by state regulators in April over the objection of some opponents who argued that hydro dams can themselves be indirect sources of carbon emissions. The operators, Hydro-Quebec, disputed that reasoning.

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