Toronto-based Transmission Developers Inc. has begun holding hearings and seeking permits to build a mostly underwater direct current transmission line it calls the Champlain-Hudson Power Express. The $3.8 billion project would bring 2,000 megawatts of wind and hydropower generated by Nalcor Energy in the provinces of Newfoundland and Labrador to the New York City metropolitan area

The route of the proposed transmission line.To do so, TDI said it wants to install a 355-mile long high-voltage cable under major bodies of water, including the Hudson River and Lake Champlain. The line would surface along railroad rights-of-way "in certain areas to avoid areas of Hudson River PCB dredging," the company said.  Also on the drawing board is an additional 65-mile-long underwater connection to Bridgeport, Connecticut, via Long Island Sound.

"High-voltage direct current (HVdc) cables are less than six inches in diameter, and when buried, do not emit controversial electromagnetic fields associated with overhead power transmission," the company said in a press release.

A similar initiative to bring in energy from upstate markets to New York City met with stiff opposition and ultimately stalled, although it may not be completely dead yet.

TDI plans to hold a series of public meetings along the underwater cable's planned route in the coming months.  For information, go to www.CHPExpress.com

Backed by the Blackstone Group, a leading private equity investor, TDI has applied for federal Department of Energy loan guarantee program for electricity transmission projects.