Eight years in the making, a controversial power corridor running through the North Maine Woods, transporting hydroelectric power from Quebec, has now gone live.
The 145-mile New England Clean Energy Connect (NECEC) will bring this power from Canada into New England, primarily Massachusetts, where it is expected to help provide power to 1.2 million households.
Colloquially known in Maine as the “CMP Corridor,” the new transmission line was developed by Avangrid, the parent company of Central Maine Power (CMP).
The $1.65 billion project was financed by Massachusetts ratepayers, as power companies in the state negotiated twenty-year agreements to purchase hydropower produced in Quebec, as reported by Maine Public.
For years, this project has faced significant pushback in Maine, with residents voting to block the project by a margin of 59 percent in 2021. A state court revived the project two years later, however, following an intense legal battle wherein CMP challenged the retroactive nature of the referendum.
The Maine Supreme Court ultimately agreed with the utility’s argument that this represented a due process violation and rolled back the measure.
[RELATED: Controversial CMP Corridor Receives Final Approval, Set for Completion by the End of the Year]
Another challenge stemmed from an environmental group’s complaint regarding the lease for about a mile’s worth of land for the project, suggesting that the move represented a substantial change in the land’s usage and therefore required approval from two-thirds of the Legislature to move forward.
Again, Justices serving on the Maine Supreme Court sided with the utility and allowed the project to proceed.
Gov. Janet Mills (D) shared a statement Friday celebrating the opening of the corridor and highlighting the expected benefits for Maine.
Of the $240 million in direct benefits Maine will be seeing from the corridor, the governor explains that $200 million of that will go toward “reducing electricity rates for Maine residents.”
The remaining $40 million in benefits comes from an agreement negotiated with Hydro-Québec, the electricity provider for the NECEC, in 2020.
According to the governor’s office, Mainers can expect to see these funds spent on a variety of projects, including the installation of more heat pumps, expanded broadband internet access, and electric vehicle charging stations.
$140 million will be spent on electricity rate relief for CMP customers, while $50 million is set to go toward rate relief for low-income households throughout the state.
“With power now flowing today, the NECEC project will provide substantial benefits to Maine people through electricity rate relief, funding for energy efficiency upgrades, broadband, education, and other key investments, all while strengthening our grid and without costing Maine ratepayers,” Gov. Mills said in her Friday statement.
“My administration worked to ensure direct benefits for Maine through this project, in partnership with other states and regional partners, to reduce energy costs and diversify our energy supply with clean, reliable resources,” she added.
“The completion of the NECEC project comes at a critical time, as rising natural gas prices are driving higher electricity costs across our region this winter,” said Dan Burgess, Acting Commissioner of the Maine Department of Energy Resources (MDER).
“This project will provide nearly $200 million in direct electricity rate relief for Maine people while helping to suppress energy prices across the region over the long term,” he explained. “By delivering 1,200 megawatts of low-cost hydropower to the New England grid, the project will strengthen reliability for the region while reducing our reliance on expensive fossil fuels.”
President and CEO of the Maine State Chamber of Commerce Patrick Woodcock also shared positive remarks regarding the new corridor.
“The operation of the Northeast Clean Energy Connect project will reduce our reliance on expensive and imported carbon-intensive fuels, improve electric reliability, and provide long-term revenue for municipalities and our state,” said Woodcock.
“The Maine State Chamber of Commerce appreciates the continued leadership of Governor Mills and the perseverance of Avangrid and Hydro-Québec to bring this project online today and we look forward to continuing to work to bring a pragmatic energy agenda that provides an affordable and clean energy future for Maine’s households and businesses alike,” he said.
<span class="dsq-postid" data-dsqidentifier="49643 https://www.themainewire.com/?p=49643">1 Comment
Well Mills got to line her pockets again.
She hopes to go to Washington to tripple her pocket lining efforts.
Maine is losing everything that made it Maine.
Born in Buxton went to school there then St. Pat’s portland.
West and Deering and wow Maine is a disappointment now.
My family King Cole Chips has been apart of this state since the 20’s
All respect is gone people have little to no value in Augusta.
Mills believes we owe her and we will pay.
Remember Gov.Brennen I live in Doc haydens old house on Craggie street.
Across the street I hung out with little JB and His sister back when Maine was a place to be proud of.
Well hopefully whoever is next actually cares and not just about the cash and headlines.