Groundbreaking in NY for Kahnawake-Hydro Power Line
Written by Paul Graif on 30 November 2022
Ohénton ĺ:iente ne Ratitsénhaienhs Kahsennenhawe Sky-Deer, of the Mohawk Council of Kahnawake, is at an historic groundbreaking ceremony in upstate New York for the Champlain Hudson Power Express (CHPE) transmission line which will deliver 1,250 Megawatts of low-cost renewable and clean Hydro electric power directly into New York City. The ceremony is being held in Whitehall, NY which is the main junction point for the line which will bring power to Astoria in Queens. It is expected to be up and running by Spring 2026.
“We’ve always looked at ourselves as leaders within First Nations communities and this is definitely something that I think sets the bar for other First Nations communities in terms of becoming partners with, you know this is a Crown Corporation in the province,” Sky Deer told K1037 News. “I know there’s definitely some, I’ll say envy on behalf of other First Nations. But I said ‘Look this is the start of something,’ and if we could help to facilitate better relations with specifically Hydro Quebec in the future with our brother and sister communities then we would like to be a part of that.”
Whitehall is just east of Lake George, NY. NY Governor Kathy Hochul and Hydro Quebec CEO Sophie Brochu are on hand for the ceremony.
Announced in May of 2021, a partnership between the MCK and Hydro-Québec will see the construction and joint ownership of the Hertel Line. This 58 kilometre, 400-kv underground transmission line will run from the Hertel Substation in La Prairie, Québec to the U.S. Border, where it will connect to the CHPE via a new underground and underwater line between Champlain and Astoria, NY.
