Final Environmental Impact Statement Issued by the U.S. Department of Energy for the Champlain Hudson Power Express

Transmission Developers Inc. has announced that the United States Department of Energy (DOE), in cooperation with other federal and state agencies, has issued the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) for the Champlain Hudson Power Express (CHPE) transmission line to New York, USA.

The issuance of the FEIS concludes the successful review of the Project’s environmental impacts under the National Environmental Policy Act and clears the way for final Project permitting. DOE's proposed action is the issuance of a Presidential permit that would authorize the construction, operation, and maintenance of the proposed CHPE project.

Donald Jessome, Transmission Developers Inc. CEO, stated:

We are extremely pleased that, after years of comprehensive review, the Department of Energy has released the Final Environmental Impact Statement and concluded that the project can and should move forward. We welcomed the review and dialogue it generated with federal and state agencies as well as local stakeholders. A great many people within these agencies and at the state and local level went to great effort evaluating the project and we thank them for their time and thoughtful consideration. The CHPE transmission line will provide clean, affordable power while minimizing community and environmental impacts, and it offers a creative solution to meet the energy challenges of the future.

The Champlain Hudson Power Express Project is a completely buried, 333-mile HVDC transmission line that will be installed underground and underwater, originating at the U.S.-Canada border and running the length of Lake Champlain and through parts of the Hudson River to New York City.

In development since 2008, the US$2.2 billion project will bring 1,000 MW of clean, reliable energy to meet growing needs and is at the forefront of America's emerging "smart grid" revolution. The project is projected to reduce energy costs for consumers and businesses by US$650 million a year once complete.

The project will also diversify the state's energy portfolio, and increase the electric grid’s safety and security by creating new, hardened infrastructure that is less susceptible to damage from natural disasters. The construction period is estimated at about four years.

See FEIS document:

http://chpexpresseis.org/library.php