To mark New York City's Climate Week (September 20-26), Mayor Bill de Blasio and Governor Kathy Hochul announced a pair of massive green energy projects that, once completed, will produce roughly 18 million megawatt-hours of renewable energy every year.

Forward Power, a joint venture of EnergyRe and Invenergy, and the New York Power Authority will develop the Clean Path NY (CPNY) project. Transmission Developers, Inc., and Hydro-Québec will lead build-out efforts for the Champlain Hudson Power Express (CHPE) project.

The CPNY project will encompass the construction of a high-voltage, direct-current power superhighway spanning 176 miles from Delaware County to New York City. The 1,300-megawatt project will run underneath the Harlem and Hudson rivers.

Meanwhile, the CHPE will deliver sufficient energy to power 1 million homes via a 1,250-megawatt line that draws wind and hydropower resources from Quebec to the Astoria Energy Center in Queens.

Environmental Impact

Combined, the CPNY and CHPE projects will generate enough energy to power more than 2.5 million homes by 2027, when both lines are expected to be operational. The CHPE project is expected to be operational by 2025 and play a considerable role in de Blasio's promise for all City government operations to be powered by renewable electricity.

The twin projects will also reduce greenhouse gas emissions by as much as 77 million metric tons by 2036. This will have the same environmental benefit as removing 1 million cars from New York City roads.

"We are ending the age of fossil fuels," noted Ben Furnas, director of the Mayor's Office of Climate and Sustainability, in a press announcement. "These transformative investments to bring clean electricity into New York City will clean our air, create great jobs, and protect our planet. This is a generational crisis, and New York City and New York State are rising to the challenge."

Public Health Benefits

These projects will also have a significant benefit to public health. According to the Office of the Mayor, they will provide nearly $3 billion in benefits over a 15-year period as a result of cleaner air which, in turn, will lower health care costs and allow for fewer business disruptions.

Moreover, CHPE and CPNY will invest $460 million in funds that will help create more jobs in green energy, advance public health, and make buildings in disadvantaged communities more environmentally-friendly.

Supporting the State's Clean Energy Standard

In addition, CHPE and CPNY will support New York's ambitious goal of generating 70 percent of its electricity from renewable sources by 2030. The state intends to be carbon neutral by 2040 and, to date, has renewable projects under contract and in development that will meet half of its electricity demand once operational.