Tier 4
New York City
Renewable Energy

New York is transforming its electricity sector to be powered by renewable energy. By 2030, 70 percent of the State’s electricity will come from renewable sources putting New York on path to a 100 percent zero-emission grid by 2040 as mandated by the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (Climate Act) .

Today, while renewable energy is abundant in upstate New York, bottlenecks inhibit that energy from moving downstate, to the nation’s largest load center, New York City. Upstate New York’s power mix is approaching 90 percent emission‐free – whereas New York City’s power is almost 90 percent fossil fuel‐based.

New York City, representing nearly one-third of New York State’s annual electric demand, is isolated from accessing the abundant renewable energy to its north by existing constraints in the electric grid.

NYSERDA’s Tier 4 Program was created by order of the New York State Public Service Commission in 2020 to increase the penetration of renewable energy into New York City (NYISO Zone J) and help address its dependency on polluting fossil fuel-fired generation. 

Tier 4 Program Clean Energy Infrastructure

NYSERDA’s Tier 4 Program is designed to substantially increase the delivery of renewable energy to New York City, addressing the city’s heavy reliance on aging fossil fuel-based generation facilities, which significantly impact air quality, public health, and grid reliability. The Tier 4 competitive solicitation was launched to bring new renewable energy into New York City, a region with limited local clean energy resources. Through this process, NYSERDA selected projects that could deliver firm, clean electricity via new transmission infrastructure to help meet the State’s climate and reliability goals.

In April 2022, the New York Public Service Commission approved a Tier 4 contract for the Champlain Hudson Power Express (CHPE), a landmark initiative that will significantly enhance the state’s renewable energy infrastructure.

The CHPE project, featuring a 1,250-megawatt High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) transmission line, is set to deliver approximately 10.4 terawatt-hours of clean energy annually to the New York metropolitan area. This project, one of New York’s largest transmission infrastructure investments in the past half-century, will eliminate an estimated 37 million metric tons of carbon emissions by 2040. Additionally, CHPE is projected to stimulate $3.4 billion in economic investments across upstate and downstate communities and create more than 1,400 family-sustaining jobs statewide. Its $40 million Green Economy Fund has already allocated $1.5 million toward initiatives benefiting disadvantaged communities, workforce development, and job retraining programs, with another round of funding scheduled for 2025.

Construction of CHPE began in November 2022 and is slated for completion by Spring 2026. As of January 2025, overall project completion has surpassed 60%, marked by significant milestones including over 70 miles of trenching, more than 50 miles of horizontal directional drilling, and installation of over 120 miles of underwater cable in New York waterways. Additionally, construction progress on the new converter station in Queens has reached nearly 60%. Project labor agreements covering the 339-mile route anticipate delivering more than three million hours of union labor, underscoring the project’s commitment to local employment and economic growth.

Running from the Province of Québec in Canada to the Astoria Energy Complex in Queens, the fully permitted transmission line is strategically buried underground and underwater to minimize environmental impact. Additionally, the CHPE contract includes provisions for the purchase of electricity from the Apuiat wind farm, a joint development by Innu communities and Boralex, which features a partnership with the Mohawk Council of Kahnawà:ke for joint ownership, ensuring economic and community benefits.

This project accelerates progress toward New York's goals of achieving 70% renewably sourced electricity by 2030 and a zero-emission electric grid by 2040, as outlined in the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (Climate Act) .