January 3, 2023 – Hitachi Energy has been selected by Hydro-Quebec to help deliver  electricity from Quebec to New York.

The Chateauguay HVDC (high-voltage direct current) system will enable the transmission of up to 1500 MW of electricity between the electrical networks of Quebec and the State of New York.

Hitachi is supplying a “back-to-back” converter station, which converts AC power to DC then converts it again to AC from DC, enabling the interconnection of the 735-kV Canadian and 765-kV New York grids, “which are out of phase and cannot be connected directly via traditional AC systems”.

The new system will replace existing equipment, which has been in operation since 1984, thereby increasing efficiency and controllability, and raising the power conversion capacity of the Chateauguay HVDC system by 50%.

“We are proud to be returning to the Chateauguay HVDC station, after helping to build it almost four decades ago,” said Niklas Persson, managing director, Hitachi Energy’s Grid Integration business. “This new system represents an important enhancement to the ability to transmit large-scale hydropower between Canada and the United States, which will support the shift away from fossil fuel.”