NRCM, a major NECEC opponent, is on board with this transmission project. Why do you suppose that is?

 

PUC to give a boost to renewable projects in northern Maine

Updated 12/7/21

State regulators have begun the process of collecting proposals for a high-voltage transmission line to serve as a conduit for renewable energy projects in Aroostook and Washington counties.

HALLOWELL — Despite criticism of the New England Clean Energy Connect project, state regulators have begun the process of collecting proposals for a high-voltage transmission line to serve as a conduit for renewable energy projects in northern Maine.

A state law required the Maine Public Utilities Commission to begin planning for a transmission capacity of at least 345 kilovolts to connect northern Maine renewable energy projects to the New England power grid.

The project aims to address one of the obstacles to renewable projects in rural Maine – access to the power grid.

It’s a similar to the proposed 145-mile transmission line that would be a conduit for Canadian hydropower to the New England power grid. But it would serve a different purpose as a conduit for Maine-based renewable energy projects.

State voters rebuked the New England Clean Energy Connect in November, and the permit was suspended by the Department of Environmental Protection. Work has halted for the time being.

But supporters are hopeful for a different outcome in northern Maine. Aroostook and parts of Washington County are currently disconnected from the New England grid, requiring electricity to be routed through Canada, said Maine Senate President Troy Jackson, of Allagash.

That has stymied development of wind and biomass projects that could produce lots of electricity.

“This has been the holy grail of clean-energy development in Maine for well over a decade, and this has been the first opportunity to really try and make that a reality,” said Jeremy Payne, executive director of the Maine Renewable Energy Association.

Continue reading at:

https://www.pressherald.com/2021/12/05/puc-to-give-a-boost-to-renew...

PPH: Maine won’t wait long for answers on clean energy, transmission lines

12/3/21

By The Editorial Board

EXCERPTS

The resounding victory last month for Question 1 raised questions about just how hard it would be to build the electricity transmission lines necessary to build a clean-energy future.

Maine won’t have to wait long to find out.

State regulators this week put out a call for bids to construct a major transmission line connecting far northern Maine to the New England grid, as mandated by a law passed by the Legislature last year.

The request from the Public Utilities Commission asks for proposals for large-scale wind and solar power projects and the development of a biomass power plant in addition to the construction of the new line.

The electricity from the power-generation part of the project would be enough for hundreds of thousands of homes, and open the way for more. The transmission line would send that power to the grid – where it could be used wherever the grid reaches.

Finally, northern Maine’s potential for producing clean energy could be realized, and an industry could be built around it. Construction of the new power generators would bring jobs, while a biomass plant would stabilize an important aspect of the forest products industry. Maintenance of the plants, and perhaps even manufacturing of items such as wind turbines, would keep the jobs there.

“This has been the holy grail of clean-energy development in Maine for well over a decade, and this has been the first opportunity to really try and make that a reality,” Jeremy Payne, executive director of the Maine Renewable Energy Association, told MainePublic.

It is an exciting opportunity to bring more renewable energy to the New England grid while creating jobs in an area of the state that needs them.

That’s also close to the same argument made by proponents of New England Clean Energy Connect – and we saw how that went Nov. 2, when a referendum stopping NECEC won with nearly 60 percent of the vote.

There are reasons to believe this transmission line will be seen differently, however. While no specific route has been chosen yet, the geography of northeastern Maine, and the infrastructure already in place, mean that the line is less likely than NECEC to go through sensitive areas.

The Natural Resources Council of Maine, a major NECEC opponent, is on board with this project. And while the communities along the CMP corridor soured on NECEC, the northern Maine line has been under consideration for years and is widely seen as beneficial.

In testimony to the Legislature earlier this year, one Aroostook County commissioner called it an “unparalleled opportunity,” while the president and CEO of Aroostook Partnership, a business and higher education nonprofit, said, “People and businesses in Aroostook County have been hoping for exactly this kind of investment for decades.”....................

..........................

Through projects like a transmission line through northern Maine, our state can contribute more to the effort to reduce emissions by helping other states in New England reach their goals, all while creating jobs and tax revenue for our communities.

Who’s going to say no to that?

https://www.pressherald.com/2021/12/03/our-view-maine-wont-wait-lon...

 

 

As one big energy corridor stalls, another moves forward in northern Maine

Maine Public | By Fred Bever
Published December 1, 2021 at 5:03 PM EST

As Central Maine Power's energy corridor continues to confront numerous legal and political challenges, there is movement on another major transmission line proposal.

This week, state regulators called for bids to construct a transmission line that would connect northern Maine to the New England electricity grid and encourage the development of renewable energy sources. Supporters say CMP's recent experience should not be seen as a death knell for other projects that will be needed to meet regional and national green energy goals.

The new northern Maine power line effort was mandated by the Legislature this year, and broadly speaking it's not that different from CMP's New England Clean Energy Connect, which grew out of its bid for an energy contract mandated by Massachusetts lawmakers.

Beset by controversy from the start, the CMP project was hammered at the polls a month ago by voters who approved a referendum that aims to kill it. Then last week the state also suspended its environmental permit.

"But now that that has happened, we need a way to get to our renewable energy goals," says Aroostook County Democrat Troy Jackson, who is president of the Maine Senate, and a chief sponsor of the law that could bring the new project to life.

He says Aroostook and parts of Washington county are disconnected from the New England grid, and electricity to or from the area must be routed through Canada.

That's inhibited the success of local biomass energy plants, he says, and the development of wind energy projects that potentially could produce massive amounts of non-polluting electricity — a product that's in high demand as the region and nation move to "decarbonize" the economy.

"And here is Aroostook County that's dying for economic development and has some of the greatest wind in the entire world, biomass and things like that we can't get the power out of Aroostook County viably, and here's an opportunity to get a line built and get some progress going in northern Maine," Jackson says.

The RFP issued by the Maine Public Utilities Commission on Monday is split into two parts: one calling for proposals for the transmission line itself, and one to procure large slugs of renewable energy from wind or solar projects, and from the development of a biomass generation plant.

The legislation calls for procuring at minimum a percentage of the state's overall electricity load that would amount to somewhere between 700 and 1100 megawatts, observers say — enough to provide electricity for hundreds of thousands of homes (or electric vehicles, for that matter) — with the potential of unlocking even larger amounts of the area's wind energy potential.

"This has been the holy grail of clean-energy development in Maine for well over a decade, and this has been the first opportunity to really try and make that a reality," says Jeremy Payne, executive director of the Maine Renewable Energy Association.

Payne says the energy producers in his sector have been anxious to get a foothold in northern Maine, and the proposed project could even lead some big wind turbine manufacturers to locate in the County too.

But, he says, bidders would do well to learn from CMP's experience, that it's important to develop close connections early on with individuals and businesses in potential host communities, to gauge their needs, and court — and maintain — their support.

"And that seems to be sort of the rub that occurred with the CMP line, was once they encountered resistance they said 'we're coming anyway, we've got this letter of support from 14 months ago from your town council.' And then individuals in the town said 'we don't care, we're going to flip that vote, we're going to have them undo that letter,  and then we're not just not going to support your project, we're going to actively oppose it,'" Payne says.

Although there is no specific route chosen for an Aroostook transmission line yet, Jackson and other backers say its footprint would be less intrusive than the CMP project in western Maine, requiring less cutting through woodlands and avoiding high-profile recreation areas like the Kennebec River basin and the Appalachian Trail.

Pete Didisheim, the advocacy director for the Natural Resources Council of Maine — a leading foe of the CMP corridor project — says a northern Maine line might be more like a big transmission upgrade, called the Maine Power Reliability Project, or MPRP, that was completed about 10 years ago by none other than CMP.

"The connection between Aroostook County and the grid we think can be done in a way that co-locates and doesn't cut across significant forestlands. And I think it's much more likely to be the sort of discussion that occurred around the MPRP. That was 300 miles of transmission line, was built in Maine, with some small issues here and there but it got resolved," he says.

Still, some observers say that losing bidders for generating the electricity that would flow across the northern Maine project might try to undermine it, just as competitors of CMP's partner, Hydro Quebec, did by spending big money to challenge the corridor project in the courts and at the ballot box.

And one new wrinkle that developers and regulators will need to consider: under the law voters passed last month, construction of all "high-impact" transmission lines longer than 50 miles will require approval by a majority of the Legislature. And if they cross public lands, the bar rises to a vote of two-thirds in each chamber.

CMP did not respond to requests for comment.

https://www.mainepublic.org/environment-and-outdoors/2021-12-01/as-...

ALSO AT:

https://bangordailynews.com/2021/12/02/news/aroostook/as-one-big-en...

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Comment by Dan McKay on December 9, 2021 at 6:21am
Penny, the Governors issued this statement soon after Connecticut chose to subsidize the nuclear power plant in their state, on their own,  to prevent it's shutdown and a 2000 Megawatt loss to the New England grid. 
The "Give and Take" among states sharing transmission and generation assets came to an abrupt delay as corrupt politicians provoked hate towards a company holding legitimate permits from esteemed agencies ( I.E. Maine PUC, Maine DEP) and steered uninformed people to rally like the "Woke Crowd" to destroy a system of shared responsibilities and benefits. May the cold, dark nights of winter be with them.
Comment by Dan McKay on December 9, 2021 at 6:09am

Nancy Sosman, Reread the name of this website. You want to be on the "I Hate CMP" website.

Comment by Nancy Sosman on December 9, 2021 at 1:23am

Central Maine Powa ... as Ive said, a cabal of thugs. How can anyone support the corridor. From the guardian.

Energy companies accused of bid rigging and racketeering in US lawsuit


Court complaint outlines scheme to generate millions in wasteful equipment expenditures in New York, Connecticut and Maine


A cybersecurity company filed a $110m lawsuit in New York this week, accusing the Spanish global energy company Iberdrola and its US subsidiary Avangrid of bid rigging and racketeering.

The 72-page federal court complaint outlines an elaborate scheme by Iberdrola executives to generate millions of dollars in wasteful equipment expenditures in order to turn a profit from its utility customers in New York, Connecticut and Maine.


The lawsuit further alleges that much of this equipment was never put to use and is instead collecting dust in warehouses across the region.

Iberdrola came to prominence about 20 years ago with investments in large wind farms, natural gas and hydroelectric power. In addition to Avangrid, it holds subsidiaries throughout Europe, Brazil and Mexico.

But in recent years, the company has come under scrutiny. Two of the Iberdrola defendants named in the lawsuit, Antonio Asenjo and Enrique Victorero, are under investigation in Spain for alleged corporate espionage and fraud.

Comment by Nancy Sosman on December 9, 2021 at 12:28am

Blaming say yes is bat chit. It was a grass roots effort by people who were directly effected. Sure big money showed up but pure motives don't win wars.  Because they were successful are they now expected to fight every battle?  Instead how about a round of applause for their perseverance and final victory.  Here in Frankfort we beat back wind turbines on Mt Waldo. Is it now our responsibility to spend eternity fighting turbines all over Maine.  The very notion is absurd.  

Comment by Art Brigades on December 8, 2021 at 9:19pm

Well said, Mr. Littlefield.

Comment by Stephen Littlefield on December 8, 2021 at 8:17pm

It's always interesting when the corrupt groups show their cards. I would like to think that the 'yes' on one crowd would be keyed up to fight this also, seeing that it will destroy a hundred times the amount of wilderness that the corridor would have and produce a quarter of the power. But, they won't, their puppet masters want this, it will make them billions and Mainers will be left holding the bag for deconstruction in the end. The yes on one was a phony it had to be stopped for all those that stand to make hundreds of millions now that they had their puppets do their dirty work. Now northern Maine will suffer with the rest of us, and Troy Jackson will have earned his bribe!

Comment by Penny Gray on December 8, 2021 at 5:39pm

I can only hope this holds true, Dan McKay.  How long ago was this statement issued?  We've strayed so far from that path.

Comment by Dan McKay on December 8, 2021 at 5:15pm

All New England electricity utilities and electricity suppliers are called upon to support this statement issued by all the New England Governors:

" Reliable and affordable energy is essential to ensuring that New England continues to attract investment in the region and grow our economies, while protecting our environment and quality of life. Recognizing the importance of this task, the six New England states reaffirm our commitment to cross-border collaboration and advancement of our common goals, while working to ensure that the region’s energy system fosters continued reliability and more affordable electricity for local homes and businesses."
All New England utilities and electricity suppliers are called upon to reject the purchase of any Renewable Energy Credits from any wind and solar projects that may be selected from the Northern Maine RFP 
Comment by Robert Powers on December 7, 2021 at 5:43pm

We have a lot of work to do and MUST replace Gov Mills and Most or all Democrap, senators & Reps...There should be a major turnover of stuff at PUC and other agencies...

AND "Lets Go Brandon"!   Voter fraud must be stopped...and Yes...there has been significant voter fraud in Maine and the former Sec of State Matt Dunlap knew about it and denied it.  He also orchestrated "Ranked choice voting" and has advised on it to other states & at national level as well!

Comment by Penny Gray on December 7, 2021 at 5:30pm

Was it Edward Abbey that wrote, Enjoy what you have while you have it, because it isn't going to last?   

People won't wonder about the repercussions of their vote on NECEC until the lights go out.  I don't think they care one bit about northern Maine, but they'll care when they're sitting in the dark, shivering.

 

Maine as Third World Country:

CMP Transmission Rate Skyrockets 19.6% Due to Wind Power

 

Click here to read how the Maine ratepayer has been sold down the river by the Angus King cabal.

Maine Center For Public Interest Reporting – Three Part Series: A CRITICAL LOOK AT MAINE’S WIND ACT

******** IF LINKS BELOW DON'T WORK, GOOGLE THEM*********

(excerpts) From Part 1 – On Maine’s Wind Law “Once the committee passed the wind energy bill on to the full House and Senate, lawmakers there didn’t even debate it. They passed it unanimously and with no discussion. House Majority Leader Hannah Pingree, a Democrat from North Haven, says legislators probably didn’t know how many turbines would be constructed in Maine if the law’s goals were met." . – Maine Center for Public Interest Reporting, August 2010 https://www.pinetreewatchdog.org/wind-power-bandwagon-hits-bumps-in-the-road-3/From Part 2 – On Wind and Oil Yet using wind energy doesn’t lower dependence on imported foreign oil. That’s because the majority of imported oil in Maine is used for heating and transportation. And switching our dependence from foreign oil to Maine-produced electricity isn’t likely to happen very soon, says Bartlett. “Right now, people can’t switch to electric cars and heating – if they did, we’d be in trouble.” So was one of the fundamental premises of the task force false, or at least misleading?" https://www.pinetreewatchdog.org/wind-swept-task-force-set-the-rules/From Part 3 – On Wind-Required New Transmission Lines Finally, the building of enormous, high-voltage transmission lines that the regional electricity system operator says are required to move substantial amounts of wind power to markets south of Maine was never even discussed by the task force – an omission that Mills said will come to haunt the state.“If you try to put 2,500 or 3,000 megawatts in northern or eastern Maine – oh, my god, try to build the transmission!” said Mills. “It’s not just the towers, it’s the lines – that’s when I begin to think that the goal is a little farfetched.” https://www.pinetreewatchdog.org/flaws-in-bill-like-skating-with-dull-skates/

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We have the facts on our side. We have the truth on our side. All we need now is YOU.

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Hannah Pingree on the Maine expedited wind law

Hannah Pingree - Director of Maine's Office of Innovation and the Future

"Once the committee passed the wind energy bill on to the full House and Senate, lawmakers there didn’t even debate it. They passed it unanimously and with no discussion. House Majority Leader Hannah Pingree, a Democrat from North Haven, says legislators probably didn’t know how many turbines would be constructed in Maine."

https://pinetreewatch.org/wind-power-bandwagon-hits-bumps-in-the-road-3/

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