“So if you think about our energy system not as one that sees borders, but one that sees resources, this is connecting the Quebec resources to the New England resources and helping all of us get into that cleaner energy future with a lot less build than we otherwise would have.” “Those hydro dams become giant green batteries for the region, and they hold that water until we need the electrons,” Irani-Famili said. The project would have the ability to carry electricity from hydro facilities in Quebec to New England, and would also be able to bring electricity from New England into Quebec. The developers say the lines could provide 1,200 megawatts of transmission capacity. South of Littleton, they would be located within existing transmission corridors. In Vermont and northern New Hampshire, the transmission lines would be buried underground along state roads. “They did not want the visual impact and some of the newer corridors of infrastructure, we're making sure we're undergrounding portions of the line.” “They did not want new corridors of infrastructure, so we made sure that we're using existing right of way,” she said. Transmission projects, like the failed Northern Pass proposal, have been controversial in New England.īut Reihaneh Irani-Famili, vice president of capital delivery, project management and construction at National Grid, said this one is different because the developers listened to community concerns before planning the project. The contract negotiation process is beginning, National Grid said, and the proposal still needs approvals from regulators before construction could begin.įirst Nations communities in Canada have opposed transmission lines connecting Hydro-Quebec with New England in the past, and the company has faced scrutiny from environmental groups. The project has gotten support from local officials in Vermont and New Hampshire, but there are still hurdles to cross. Department of Energy to purchase capacity on the planned transmission line, which officials say reduces the risk for other investors and can help encourage others to purchase capacity. (Here's a map of the Twin States proposal.) It would run through parts of Grafton, Merrimack, and Hillsborough counties, routing through a substation in Dunbarton and ending at a proposed new substation in Londonderry. The transmission line would connect New England with power from Hydro-Quebec, moving into the United States from Canada in Northern Vermont and crossing into New Hampshire near Dalton. Twin States is a proposal from National Grid, a utility company that serves Massachusetts, New York, and Rhode Island, and also owns transmission in England and Wales, and the non-profit Citizens Energy Corporation. Department of Energy announced Monday that it has selected the Twin States Clean Energy Link as one of three transmission projects that will be part of its $1.3 billion investment to add capacity to the grid. Bukaty/AP)Ī proposal to build a new transmission line to connect New England with Canadian hydropower is one step closer to reality. Facebook Email In this 2021 file photo, utility lines in New England.
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