Mohawk Council of Kahnawà:ke and Hydro-Québec sign Hertel Transmission Line agreements

The Mohawk City Council of Kahnawà:ke and Hydro-Québec have signed an agreement for the joint ownership of the Hertel-New York Interconnection Transmission Line (Hertel Line) on Thursday.

They held a ceremony in the Mohawk Territory for this historic event.

“Our generations to come this will be something that we can be proud of,” said Kahnawà:ke Grand Chief Kahsennenhawe Sky-Deer. “We know self-determination, finding new ways forward, finding ways to provide an economy for our people is paramount.”

“When I look to the future, one thing is clear: the immense challenge of the energy transition will require creativity and open minds,” said Sabia. “The agreement we celebrate today with the Mohawk Council of Kahnawà:ke is a true testament to that spirit of innovation.”

The official Hertel Line agreement was signed by Ohén:ton Í:iente ne Ratitsénhaienhs Kahsennenhawe Sky-Deer, Hydro-Québec Chief Executive Officer Michael Sabia and Quebec Minister responsible for Relations with the First Nations and the Inuit Ian Lafrenière.

“This agreement is especially remarkable because it will be the first time that Hydro-Québec shares ownership of its transmission infrastructure with a third part and a First Nation community,” said chief Sky-Deer in a press release.

The Hertel Line will be a 58km, 400 kV underground transmission line that will run from the Hertel substation in La Prairie to the Richelieu River, where it will cross into New York.

The new line will carry 1,250 MW of renewable electricity to New York City, which can power up to one million homes, reads the press release.

“Kanien’kehá:ka ironworkers helped build the New York City skyline and now Kahnawà:ke will contribute to the city in a different way by transporting renewable energy to light up the very skyline that Mohawks built,” explained Chief Sky-Deer.

As part of the project agreement, Hydro-Québec is donating $10 million to the new Kahnawà:ke Cultural Arts Centre, making them the leading donor on the project.

“This is a partnership that’s going to last for 40 years. It’s going to bring economic revenue generation to our community, which we know is important to insert into things that are important to us,” said Sky-Deer. “The minimum that we could get involved is at ten per cent, but obviously as a community, we’re going to look at our risk tolerance of how much more we would like to get involved. And we know that obviously, Hydro has to remain the majority shareholder owner. But as much as we would like, we are going to push for.”

The Hertel Line is set to be commissioned in 2026. 

“This agreement today, gives me hope that more partnerships like this one will materialize in the future so that more communities can be included in major projects,” concluded Lafrenière in a press release.