Nearly 90-miles of cables to be installed in the Hudson River

Construction to install nearly 90-miles of cables in the Hudson River has already started as part of the Champlain Hudson Power Express (CHPE) energy transmission project to deliver 1,250-megawatts of hydropower from Canada to New York City.

With concrete barriers already in place, the cable installation work on the first section of the project, from Cementon (Town of Catskill) to Stony Point, will begin in August and is anticipated to be completed in September 2024. Construction on the second section, from Congers to the Harlem River, will take place from September 2025 to October 2025. The CHPE is expected to enter service in May of 2026.

During this phase of the project, a barbed hook called a grapnel will be dragged along the bottom of the river to remove surface and shallow buried debris. A jet plow will then use high-powered streams of water to carve out a trench and lay the two, five-inch-diameter transmission cables.

According to Riverkeeper, “the cable laying process will not have a significant impact on recreational use of the Hudson River, but some portions of the project may present potential hazards to boaters.”

In addition to divers routinely monitoring the cable laying progress, boaters are advised to maintain a 500-foot distance from the cable-laying vessel and reduce speed to minimize wake, when possible. When crossing the path of the vessel, boats should also try to pass in front (on the south side) to limit the potential for any conflict with the cable line laid off the stern.

To help offset the impact on the river’s endangered species, Riverkeeper notes the the transmission cables will “temporarily exit the Hudson River in the Town of Stony Point to avoid the protected habitat area at Haverstraw Bay. Haverstraw Bay is a major spawning, nursery, and wintering area for various fish species, especially for the endangered shortnose and Atlantic sturgeon.”

To answer any questions about the project, representatives from the CHPE team will hold two upcoming open house events this week: Monday, July 29 from 6 to 8pm at the Tarrytown Senior Center, 240 W Main Street, Tarrytown, and Tuesday, July 30 from 6 to 8pm at the Kingston Best Western, 503 Washington Ave., Kingston.

For questions or concerns related to the cable installation, contact CHPE at publicoutreach@chpexpress.com or click here.