ISO-NE and Philip Bartlett Have a Plan for Us.

Through an agreement between NESCOE and ISO-NE a study to what is needed to develop a new transmission system in New England to accomodate the proposed renewable policies established by the New England States was conducted by ISO-NE. " 2050 Transmission Study"

First, who is NESCOE?  All you need to know as far as Maine is concerned, our representitive in NESCOE is Philip Bartlett II., current Commision Chair of the Maine PUC. and servant to the democrat party.

Alright, what does ISO-NE say about all this?

Their prefacing statement:

" The New England power system is in the midst of an unprecedented shift in the ways in which electricity is produced and consumed. Five of the "six New England states have committed to reducing their carbon dioxide emissions by at least 80% by 2050, prompting ongoing changes in the grid’s resource mix and the increased electrification of the heating and transportation sectors. Driven largely by these statewide commitments, the grid continues its shift toward renewable resources like wind and solar photovoltaic (PV) generation. Over the next several decades, these renewable resources are expected to substantially displace natural gas-fired generation as the region’s primary resource type. "

And this statement: 
 " The ISO is currently discussing the second phase of the longer-term transmission study Tariff changes that will establish a process to enable the states, through NESCOE, to move policy related transmission projects forward, with an associated cost allocation."

This is no longer in discussion. NESCOE and ISO-NE have opened and have received bids to construct transmission to tie the 1200 Megawatt wind project in Aroostook County to Southern New England. The first of many proposals to come$$$$$$. Within this 2050 study by ISO-NE, are the ratepayers considered an intregal part of  decisions. Not once are Ratepayers or Property Owners mentioned . They are just not considered.

Assumptions by ISO-NE :

"All coal, oil, diesel, and municipal solid waste-fueled generation, as well as a portion of today’s natural-gas-fueled generation, was assumed retired by 2035"

Good luck with that; During the recent chilly weather, ISO-NE had to call on oil-fired plants to provide daily electricity needs.

"Significant upgrades to the distribution systems will be necessary to accommodate a 2050 peak load"

Multi CMP and Versant rate hikes, 50 cent per kilowatt hour electricity is on the way.

 "The majority of consumer demand in New England, roughly 77%, is located in the southern states of Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island."

These states are your masters.

"Public education and involvement may be an important factor in modifying consumer behavior to reduce electricity demand at key times. Consumer awareness of the nature and timing of peak load may help consumers participate in the reduction of peak loads to more manageable levels, which could save billions of dollars in transmission system upgrade costs."

Perfectly aligns with Chair Bartlett's desires.

"Essentially, locating generators closer to large population hubs will help reduce the strain on the transmission system."

So, let's start this monstrosity off with a multi-mile transmission line to bring grid disrupting wind from Northern Maine to Boston.

"Generator location is less important for some of the larger-scale upgrades like new major lines leading from northern New England to southern New England. Whether a generator is placed at one substation in Maine or at a different station 10 miles away matters very little, since the majority of the power from that generator will ultimately flow from Maine into southern New England regardless of the generator’s exact location."

Plenty of substations in Maine, bring on those industrial wind plants

 "It should also be noted that a significant number of overloads occurred on underground cables that would be expensive to fix through upgrades. In most situations, increasing the rating of underground cables requires a complete replacement of all underground equipment, resulting in costs that are six to eight times higher than rebuilding existing overhead transmission lines."

Referring to Boston infrastructure here; just an added cost for all New England States

". In addition to the major upgrades described above, this roadmap 2050 Transmission Study would require approximately 666 miles of overhead line rebuilds to reliably serve a 51 GW load and 1,058 miles of overhead line rebuilds to reliably serve a 57 GW load."

Of course, that is assuming their will be no public backlash

"In addition to the major upgrades described above, this roadmap 2050 Transmission Study would require approximately 666 miles of overhead line rebuilds to reliably serve a 51 GW load and 1,058 miles of overhead line rebuilds to reliably serve a 57 GW load."

They will have no choice once we put the $26 billion plus new transmission in place, starting now.