backIJGlobal Awards 2022 named the Champlain Hudson Power Express (CHPE) project their North America Deal of the Year for Power Transmission.
King & Spalding represents Transmission Developers, Inc. – a Blackstone portfolio company – on its development of the Champlain Hudson Power Express (CHPE) project, a multi-billion-dollar, 339-mile-long high-voltage-direct-current (HVDC) transmission line, which will deliver 1,250 MW of clean, renewable hydro power from the U.S.-Canadian border to New York City. The transmission line will be fully buried both underwater (60% of the route) and underground (40% of the route). The massive renewable project delivering large quantities of clean power to New York City is one of the first of its kind to be developed in the U.S. and will be the second largest of its kind in the world. The representation included negotiations with some of the world’s largest power infrastructure suppliers and contractors to design, procure and construct the marine route, terrestrial route, and DC to AC converter station in Astoria, Queens, New York. K&S has advised Blackstone and CHPE for over five years in connection with the project development.
On November 30, 2021, New York Governor Kathy Hochul announced New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) finalized contracts emboldening the project’s continuation and encouraging the city’s deployment of clean energy projects to acceleration to achieve the State’s and New York City’s ambitious climate goals.
When completed – expected in mid-2026 – CHPE will power over one million New York homes with fully renewable power. CHPE is expected to decrease CO2 emissions by an average of 3.9 million metric tons per year, equivalent to removing 44% of passenger vehicles from New York City.
The CHPE project is critical to the state of New York’s ability to achieve requirements under the State’s new Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA) requiring New York to be powered by 70% renewable energy by 2030.
More information on the CHPE project can be in the following news articles:
- The Post-Star: 'A whole new future': Hochul, others break ground for CHPE transmission line project
- QNS: Officials breaks ground on $6 billion Champlain Hudson Power Express bringing clean energy to ‘asthma alley’ in western Queens
- Crain’s New York Business: Construction begins on $6B hydropower transmission lines to city
- Wall Street Journal: Hudson River Hydropower Transmission Line Cleared for Construction
- Bloomberg: Blackstone Preps $6 Billion for Canada-to-NYC Power Line