Let’s Transmit Some Clean Power
by Sonam Velani
We think the Governor’s Office read our Hot Take last week on how much NY has to catch up to meet our climate action goals, got the press team together, and hit go!
On Wednesday, NY Governor Kathy Hochul, NYSERDA Director Doreen Harris, and several state and local leaders came together to break ground for the new Champlain Hudson Power Express that will bring renewable energy from Hydro-Quebec along a 339-mile transmission lined to New York City. The new line will connect the largest generator of clean power in North America to the largest city in America. The new line will be underwater in the Lake Champlain area and along the Hudson River, or buried along existing highways and railroads. The project will create more than 1,400 jobs during the three years of construction and is yet another example of #ClimateIndustrialism in action - revitalizing local communities with a new lease on life, literally.
Currently, most of New York City’s electricity comes from fossil generators, accounting for a quarter of the city’s GHG emissions. Approximately 50% comes from power plants in the city, and the rest from Westchester and the surrounding areas. The full mix - not so great as you can see from this chart by the Urban Green Council below.
Cleaning the grid requires dramatic changes to energy generation, transmission, and distribution, and this CHPE project is one of the biggest steps in changing the equation. In addition to huge investments in offshore wind, energy storage, and shifts in demand - we will eventually have 100% emissions-free electricity by 2040. As the running mantra goes, let’s build build build!
by Sonam Velani