How Clean Energy Wins: A Look at the New England Clean Energy Connect Project

Key Highlights :

1. A stalled transmission line project that Maine voters tried to kill in 2021 has been brought back to life by a state court.

2. The project would deliver around 1,200 megawatts of power from hydroelectric dams in Quebec to the New England states, satisfying around 8 percent of typical demand on the region's grid.

3. The project has been progressing in fits and starts since 2018, when the Massachusetts state government backed it as the best way to reach that state's ambitious clean-power goals.

4. "At the end of the day, clean energy won," said Joe Curtatone, president of the Northeast Clean Energy Council, a business association that represents renewable power companies, including those involved in Clean Energy Connect.

     The New England states have long relied on oil and natural gas to power their electrical grid, but a recent court ruling has opened up a path to decarbonizing the region. The New England Clean Energy Connect project is a $1 billion transmission line that would bring hydropower from Quebec to the region, satisfying around 8 percent of typical demand on the grid. This would provide a significant step forward in meeting the region's ambitious clean-power goals. The project has faced significant obstacles, but the recent court ruling has given it a new lease on life. This article looks at the project, its potential benefits, and the challenges it still faces in becoming a reality.

     The New England Clean Energy Connect (NECEC) project is a proposed $1 billion transmission line that would bring hydropower from Quebec to the region, satisfying around 8 percent of typical demand on the grid. The project has been progressing in fits and starts since 2018, when the Massachusetts state government backed it as the best way to reach that state's ambitious clean-power goals. The project has faced significant obstacles, including a 2021 referendum in Maine that attempted to kill it and opposition from landowners, environmentalists, and Indigenous activists.

     However, a recent court ruling has given the project a new lease on life. Near the end of last month a jury unanimously ruled that the NECEC project could move forward after being stalled for more than a year, ending a legal limbo that began when Maine voters rejected the project in a 2021 referendum. Avangrid, the company building the transmission line, said on an earnings call last week that it will know by midyear when it can resume building the project, citing a need to renew permits. The company had just started clearing a path for the line at the time of the 2021 referendum, and it initially planned to bring the wires online by late 2022.

     The project has the potential to bring significant cost savings to New England residents, as well as a significant reduction in the region's reliance on oil and natural gas. Avangrid will also undertake about $200 million in upgrades to existing infrastructure in the New England grid, while adding customer incentives like rural broadband upgrades and ratepayer rebates. These upgrades, in addition to the cheap hydropower from Quebec, should mean widespread cost savings for New England residents.

     The project still faces significant obstacles, including the need to renew permits and opposition from local landowners and Indigenous activists. However, the recent court ruling has given the project a new chance to make a significant impact on the region's climate goals. The NECEC project could be a major step forward in weaning New England off fuel oil and natural gas, and in helping the region reach its ambitious clean-power goals.

Continue Reading at Source : salon