Hitachi Energy to Enable Renewable Electricity Transmission Between Canada & New York

Global tech leader Hitachi Energy working on sustainable energy has announced that it has been selected by Transmission Developers, a Blackstone company specialized in renewable power development, for the supply of a high-voltage direct current (HVDC) converter station. Hitachi Energy said that this converter station is a key part of the transmission solution for the Champlain Hudson Power Express (CHPE) HVDC interconnection between Québec(Canada) and the New York City metro area (the USA).

The link will enable the delivery of clean, renewable hydropower between Canada and New York helping New York to achieve 70 percent renewable energy in the power mix by 2030. Hitachi Energy said that CHPE is expected to decrease CO2 emissions by an average of 3.9 million metric tons every year. This is equivalent to removing 44 percent of passenger vehicles from New York City.

Using HVDC Light technology of Hitachi Energy, CHPE will transfer up to 1,250 MW of electricity that can power 1 million New York households. The link will efficiently transmit electricity for more than 600 km (372 miles) underground from Hertel, Canada, through Lake Champlain and the Hudson River, to an HVDC converter station in Astoria, Queens.

Niklas Persson, Managing Director, Grid Integration business, of Hitachi Energy, stated, “HVDC systems have tremendous potential for bringing large amounts of electricity directly into cities, which is essential for securing sustainable and affordable power today and in the future.”

Donald Jessome, CEO, Transmission Developers, mentioned, “We look forward to beginning construction activity later this year and to delivering an abundance of clean, renewable energy to New Yorkers.”

The Enabler

For the New York site, Hitachi Energy will supply the HVDC Light converter station, which will convert the DC power from Canada to AC power and make it available for the AC grid in New York.

Engineering and construction firm Kiewit will be responsible for the civil works for the converter station in New York.

Hitachi Energy claims that HVDC technology enables large amounts of high-quality electricity to be delivered where it is most needed with complete control and with a compact footprint using out-of-sight underground or underwater cables.

The complete CHPE system, of which the HVDC converter stations are the enabling technology, is expected to create more than 1,400 jobs during construction. The official statement of Hitachi Energy held that during the first 30 years of operations, it will deliver almost $50 billion in economic benefits to New York state.