The Whitehall Board of Education announced at its September meeting that a presentation will be made during its October meeting regarding the Champlain Hudson Power Express line that will be installed from Quebec, Canada to New York City.
“I have been in talks with the people who are running the power line from Canada to the city,” said school superintendent Patrick Dee. “They will be here on Tuesday, Oct. 25 from 6 to 8 p.m. for community questions as well as to give a presentation of what it is, how it works, and how it’s going to be affecting our area.”
The project will make its way through Whitehall and Dresden, and the Board of Education wants to have an information night for community members to ask questions about the project and raise any concerns they may have.
“We’re going to be working with them (CHPE) to make sure folks are aware this is happening and to keep them up to speed,” Dee said.
As of Sept. 20, Champlain Hudson Power Express announced the selection of three contractors for the 339-mile line of power being installed entirely underground: NKT, Kiewit and Hitachi Energy.
In a news release on Sept. 20, it said that the municipalities where the line travels will see funding.
“CHPE will also provide competitively priced power that is expected to lower electricity generation costs throughout the state by $17 billion over the first 25 years of operation, all the while providing increased reliability and resiliency for the downstate grid.
“The project also provides a total of $3.5 billion in economic benefits to New Yorkers and creates approximately 1,400 family-sustaining jobs during construction, with a commitment to use union labor. CHPE will provide an economic boost to 73 municipalities and 59 school districts throughout New York State with an increase in incremental tax revenue of $1.4 billion in funding for local communities over the first 25 years of the project,” the release said.
Ground-breaking is expected late this year with the project being fully operational by spring of 2026.
