New Hampshire rejects Quebec-Massachusetts transmission proposal
MONTREAL -
Regulators in the state of New Hampshire on Thursday rejected a major electricity project being piloted by Quebec’s hydro utility and its American partner, Eversource.
Members of New Hampshire’s Site Evaluation Committee unanimously denied an application for the Northern Pass project, a week after the state of Massachusetts green-lit the proposal.
Both states had to accept the project, as the transmission lines were to bring up to 9.45 terawatt hours of electricity per year from Quebec’s hydroelectric plants to Massachusetts, through New Hampshire.
The 20-year proposal was to be the biggest export contract in Hydro-Quebec’s history, and would generate up to $500 million in annual revenues for the provincial utility.
Hydro-Quebec’s U.S. partner, Eversource, said in a new release it was “shocked and outraged” by the New Hampshire regulators’ decision and suggested it would appeal.
“This decision sends a chilling message to any energy project contemplating development in the Granite State,” said Eversource. “We will be seeking reconsideration of the SEC’s decision, as well as reviewing all options for moving this critical clean energy project forward.”
The New Hampshire Union Leader reported Thursday the seven members of the evaluation committee said the project’s promoters couldn’t demonstrate the proposed energy transport lines wouldn’t interfere with the region’s orderly development.
Hydro-Quebec spokesman Serge Abergel said the decision wasn’t great news but it didn’t put a end to the negotiations between the company and the state of Massachusetts.
The hydro utility had proposed alternatives routes through Vermont and Maine should the original plan fall through.
“There is a provision included in the process in the advent of an impasse, which allows Massachusetts to go back and choose the next candidate on the list,” Abergel said in an interview. “There are still cards left on the table.”
Related News
New Power Grid “Report Card” Reveal Dangerous Vulnerabilities
WASHINGTON - The U.S. power grid just received its “grade card” from the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) and it barely passed.
The overall rating of our antiquated electrical system was a D+. Major power outages in the United States have grown from 76 in 2007 to 307 in 2011, according to the latest available statistics. The major outage figures do not take into account all of the smaller outages which routinely occur due to seasonal storms.
The American Society of Civil Engineers power grid grade card rating means the energy infrastructure is in “poor to fair condition and mostly below…