The Champlain Hudson Power Express, a giant hydropower charger connecting Canadian electricity to Queens, is officially complete, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced.
The 339-mile-long CHPE transmission line is expected to deliver 10.4 terawatt-hours of clean energy per year to the New York Metro area, Hochul said in her June 16 announcement.
The transmission line actually became operational a bit ahead of schedule, on May 13, according to CHPE and Transmission Developers.
Hochul took a less-than-veiled swipe at the Trump administration’s Environmental Protection Agency and its rollback of measures to curb greenhouse gases. “This project is further proof that despite the unprecedented federal headwinds we are facing, New York will remain a national climate and clean energy leader into the future.”
A ruckus in Rockland over roadwork disruptions
Most of the CHPE line passed under the Hudson River, save a section from Washington to Greene counties, and again in Rockland County, where the transmission cable came on land to avoid the environmentally fragile Haverstraw Bay.
The extensive construction work along Route 9W, the main drag in north Rockland, caused many detours and massive delays, locals complained. Businesses along the corridor reported financial losses in 2025 from the mess.
Businesses pointed out they were suffering from a line that wouldn’t benefit them.
CHPE set up a $150,000 relief fund. But business owners, many mom-and-pop proprietors, and the North Rockland Chamber of Commerce said the losses were more like $13 million.
CHPE pointed to the tens of millions in benefits already distributed to local host municipalities.
A settlement deal brokered by U.S. Rep. Mike Lawler, R-Pearl River, announced in May established a $1 million “Good Neighbor Fund.”
The ins and outs of how and when that money would be distributed to impacted businesses continues to be hammered out.
Haverstraw Supervisor Howard Phillips pointed to that, and the ongoing roadwork in the corridor. CHPE is expected to complete curb-to-curb paving and promised intersection improvements along the 9W corridor from Stony Point through Haverstraw to Congers in Clarkstown.
“They may be done, in other words they charged the line, but they have a tremendous amount of work to do,” Phillips, a Democrat, said.
What’s the need for hydropower in NYC?
CHPE, called “Chippie” by many, was launched over a decade ago as a way to boost NYC’s energy needs and reduce carbon emissions, especially in urban neighborhoods. It could meet up to 20% of the NYC power needs.
Hochul supported the plan as part of her “all-of-the-above” push for clean energy; the line was first pitched in 2010, and supported by former Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
CHPE has been seen as part of a mix of energy replacement plans weaved into the longtime push to shutter the aging Indian Point nuclear power plants in Buchanan. Indian Point was shut down in 2021.
The CHPE project, contracted by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, was developed by Transmission Developers Inc., which is owned by Blackstone, in partnership with Hydro-Québec.
Nancy Cutler covers People & Policy. Reach her at ncutler@lohud.com; follow her on X, Bluesky and Instagram at @nancyrockland.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Hochul lauds Champlain Hudson Power Express hydropower line completion
Reporting by Nancy Cutler, Rockland/Westchester Journal News / Rockland/Westchester Journal News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Nancy Cutler, Rockland/Westchester Journal News | USA TODAY Network
