USA: New York State Commission Seeks Comments on Proposed 1,000 MW Transmission Line

The New York State Public Service Commission (Commission) announced that it is seeking public comment on a February 24, 2012 Joint Proposal (JP), filed by Champlain Hudson Power Express, Inc. and CHPE Properties (together, the Applicants) for approval to construct a 1,000 megawatt (MW) transmission facility from the Canadian border to New York City.

The Commission may adopt, adopt with changes, or reject any of the terms of the pending JP. The Commission also may adopt terms other than those proposed.

Members of the public may provide their comments at public statement hearings. The Commission previously held hearings in Whitehall, Catskill, and Ravena, New York.

As outlined in the JP, the proposed facility will originate underwater at the international border between the United States and Canada and ultimately terminate in Astoria, New York. It will be either underwater or underground for the majority of its length.

The facility’s transmission lines will be comprised of two solid dielectric cables, each approximately six inches in diameter. The facility will deliver 1000 MW of electricity, supplied primarily by new wind and hydroelectric generating sources from Quebec, Canada, to New York City.

In addition to the transmission lines, the facility will also include a converter station and a threemile long High Voltage Alternating Current (HVAC) cable circuit from the Astoria Annex to the Rainey Substation, located in Astoria New York.

The JP provides for the establishment of a Trust to fund the study and mitigation of any possible impacts that the facility’s underwater cables may have on the habitat in the Hudson, Harlem and East Rivers, Lake Champlain, and their tributaries. The JP also includes obligations, conditions and requirements that would apply to the construction and operation of the facility.

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Subsea World News Staff , April 11, 2012;