Patrick Leary
New Hampshire Engineer (BSEE) and System Engineer

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It’s proposed to build a 260-mile transmission line under the Hudson River to transport zero emissions energy to NYC, but it’s hardly zero impact.

Before anyone even reads my observations about this project, please understand I do not oppose it; I’d just like to see some perspective applied. Ok, with that understanding let me offer my thoughts on a fascinating proposal to build a 260-mile electric transmission, under the Hudson River no less, to feed power into the Big Apple. Oh yes, those people do need energy, quite a bit of it, in fact, despite the fact they want none of it produced anywhere near them. I’m talking about the Empire State Connector and it’s a wonderful idea, to be honest, but it’s hard to believe those hard-core New Yorkers opposed to fracking could possibly approve.

Inside of a HVDC power converter station

Electric Light & Power posted an article on the Empire State Connector the other day, offering this background:

Empire State Connector Corp. said April 26 that it has filed an application with FERC for authority to negotiate agreements with customers for transmission service on a 260-mile long high voltage direct current (HVDC) transmission line that would deliver 1,000 MW of energy and capacity directly into New York City from zero emission generating sources located in upstate New York.

The project’s cables would be routed primarily underwater in the Erie Canal and Hudson River and underground, where necessary, so that the project would have no visual impact. ESC said it has assumed the full market risk for the $1.5 billion construction cost resulting in no negative impact on ratepayers…

“Our strategic location and innovative, low impact route will ‘unlock’ upstate renewable and ‎zero emission generators helping New York State achieve its ambitious goal of 50 percent renewable generation by 2030,” said John Douglas, Empire State Connector CEO. “The world is taking notice how serious New York is about climate change and economic development.”

“The Empire State Connector project is an especially welcome proposal that I will be following closely because it promises to have very low environmental impact and virtually no visual impact, and would facilitate the transmission — from upstate to downstate — of ultra-clean and zero carbon emitting electricity, which is generated right here in New York,” said Sen. Joe Griffoin in whose district the line originates.

When I read someone is going to “unlock upstate renewable and zero emissions generators” my thoughts turn to a very natural question; why aren’t we told what those “zero emission generators” are? It’s a very odd, don’t you think, to talk that way without specifying what you’re talking about? The language is obviously intended to plant the seed in everyone’s mind that we’re talking about solar or wind or something on that order.

But, in checking out the Empire State Connector website we learn the project, as proposed, “Connects upstate renewable, nuclear (zero emissions) and hydro generators directly to New York City.” Solar and wind may well be involved, but nuclear and hydro-electric are also part of the mix and we’re not told how much of each will be involved, which means we’re probably talking mostly nuclear and hydro or they wouldn’t be downplaying it.

The implications are huge, of course, as downstate New Yorkers and their governor seem awfully determined to move nuclear power out of their backyard. He and they have been scheming for decades how to get rid of Indian Point despite the fact the energy from it already has a nice convenient and efficient route into the City. It seems as if this project is only moving the nuclear generation further away to someone else’s backyard and decreasing the efficiency of the whole operation by increasing the transmission costs. Empire State Connector may be assuming all the risk, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t going to pass along the costs or that the costs of delivering energy from 260 miles aren’t greater than 30 miles.

This is not to mention the unknown risks of burying high-voltage cables under the Hudson River, which is what’s proposed. How will the radical environmentalists who oppose everything else react to that one? There must be a snail darter in there someplace.

Then, there’s the hydro aspect. New York already has a lot of hydro power, developed in the days when you could dam up rivers and streams to do it. Today, that’s damn near impossible, what with all worries about disturbing archeological sites, destroying the habitat of the bog turtles and all that. Are we really taking about damming up the Adirondacks? If so, someone needs to have their head examined. The New York City elites who’ve spent fortunes making a wilderness out of the place will never tolerate that.

They might tolerate 500 feet high wind towers in Madison County, of course, since they won’t have to look at them and backyard aesthetics are everything these days. Better to clear wide swaths of upstate mountaintops than run a gas line through Westchester County, after all. But, wind power is inefficient as hell (good example to be found here) and requires massive subsidies before we start building 260 mile transmission lines to deliver the intermittent energy produced, often at times we don’t need it. Imagine what this project will do to the economics.

It seems New York has yet to get its head straight on energy and the environment. Let me suggest, as a friendly New Hampshire neighbor, that before anything is done that harms the environment of Upstate New York, an effort first be conducted to bring New York City in alignment with the decidedly green views of its people and their governor. All natural gas in to the city needs to be shut off (natural gas is very bad they tell us); the connections from Niagara Falls need to be terminated and the Falls restored to its natural state (diverted water-flow is also bad), and the Indian Point Nuclear power plant needs to be shuttered (nukes are the worst).

If the people of New York City are willing to do their part and, no doubt they are, they will not object if the Mayor issues stationary bicycles with 100 Watt generators to each household to meet the electricity needs of the citizens. That is the perfect solution. Small is beautiful and making everyone responsible for their own energy ensures none of has to subsidize the other or build things in others’ backyards that tear up the environment or, worse yet, destroy the view. Best of all, there would not only be zero emissions, but also zero impacts, unless you want to count the reduced obesity, which would have to be considered a positive impact. I suspect we’d also be kicking up energy conservation a notch with this solution, so what’s not to like?