Reports related to this article:
Project(s): View 1 related project in PECWeb
Plant(s): View 1 related plant in PECWeb
Released November 20, 2017 | SUGAR LAND
en
Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--Department of Energy (DOE) Presidential Permit in hand, Eversource Energy (NYSE:ES) (Hartford, Connecticut) is one step closer to having all its regulatory ducks in a row to begin construction on the $1.6 billion Northern Pass hydroelectricity transmission project, which will carry power from Canada to New England.
Eversource Energy and its Northern Pass Transmission subsidiary announced last week it received the green light to proceed with the project via the Presidential Permit, which is a key requirement as the project crosses the U.S.-Canada border. Northern Pass is a 192-mile overhead and underground electric transmission line project that will bring 1,090 megawatts of hydroelectricity to New England from facilities operated by Hydro-Quebec (Montreal, Quebec). The DOE permit allows Northern Pass Transmission to construct transmission facilities at the border in Pittsburg, New Hampshire.
The transmission line will begin in Pittsburg and extend to Deerfield, New Hampshire, where it will connect to the New England grid. More than 80% will be built along existing transmission corridors or buried along roadways, the company said. Industrial Info is tracking several projects that are tied to the transmission project. For more information, see Industrial Info's project report.
The permitting process has been lengthy, and the project has its share of controversy. Eversource has said the project would bring much-needed electricity to power-thirsty New England and boost local economies, while opponents maintain it would be an eyesore, hurt tourism and lower property values, according to New Hampshire Public Radio.
In granting the permit, the DOE noted that under an amended proposal in 2013, the New Hampshire portion of the project was to consist of two segments. The first would be a single-circuit, 300-kilovolt (kV) high-voltage, direct current (HVDC) transmission line running 153 miles from the U.S. border crossing near Pittsburg to a new HVDC-to-alternating current (AC) transformer facility to be built in Franklin, New Hampshire. The second segment was to be a 345-kV AC electric transmission line running 34 miles from Franklin to a proposed terminus at the Public Service Company of New Hampshire's existing Deerfield substation. The total length would have been 187 miles.
Eversource and Northern Pass Transmission changed the proposal in August 2015, increasing the amount of proposed buried transmission line from eight miles to about 60 miles, and increasing the length to 192 miles. The buried line will prevent the project from marring views of the White Mountain National Forest Area.
The project is on track to start construction in mid-2018, with the goal of having it in service in the third quarter of 2020 in time for the winter season.
The project still must clear some regulatory hurdles. Eversource received a setback in late August when the New Hampshire Site Evaluation Committee said it would delay its final decision until 2018, with a written decision to be issued as late as March 31.
Eversource Energy Executive Vice President of Enterprise Energy Strategy and Business Development Leon Olivier said during the company's third-quarter earnings conference call on November 2 that he expects no further state regulatory delays: "We have a very strong governor in New Hampshire that supports this project; the legislature supports this project, including the senior members of the legislature. The [Site Evaluation Committee] chairman has been very efficient and very judicious in the process, so we don't see any delays there."
The U.S. Forest Service (USFS) is expected to issue a final decision for a special use permit to allow burial of the transmission line through the White Mountain National Forest soon, but in a draft record of decision issued in September, the USFS proposed to approve the application, according to Eversource. The hydropower project will also prevent up to 3.2 million metric tons of CO2 emissions in New England, according to Eversource.
More hydroelectric transmission projects in the region may follow. Olivier said during Eversource's earnings conference call that Hydro-Quebec believes it could develop at least two other such projects in the region. Industrial Info is tracking more than $6 billion in active transmission & distribution projects in the New England region, which also includes Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Vermont.
Industrial Info Resources (IIR), with global headquarters in Sugar Land, Texas, six offices in North America and 12 international offices, is the leading provider of global market intelligence specializing in the industrial process, heavy manufacturing and energy markets. Industrial Info's quality-assurance philosophy, the Living Forward Reporting Principle, provides up-to-the-minute intelligence on what's happening now, while constantly keeping track of future opportunities. Follow IIR on: Facebook - Twitter - LinkedIn. For more information on our coverage, send inquiries to info@industrialinfo.com or visit us online at http://www.industrialinfo.com.
Eversource Energy and its Northern Pass Transmission subsidiary announced last week it received the green light to proceed with the project via the Presidential Permit, which is a key requirement as the project crosses the U.S.-Canada border. Northern Pass is a 192-mile overhead and underground electric transmission line project that will bring 1,090 megawatts of hydroelectricity to New England from facilities operated by Hydro-Quebec (Montreal, Quebec). The DOE permit allows Northern Pass Transmission to construct transmission facilities at the border in Pittsburg, New Hampshire.
The transmission line will begin in Pittsburg and extend to Deerfield, New Hampshire, where it will connect to the New England grid. More than 80% will be built along existing transmission corridors or buried along roadways, the company said. Industrial Info is tracking several projects that are tied to the transmission project. For more information, see Industrial Info's project report.
The permitting process has been lengthy, and the project has its share of controversy. Eversource has said the project would bring much-needed electricity to power-thirsty New England and boost local economies, while opponents maintain it would be an eyesore, hurt tourism and lower property values, according to New Hampshire Public Radio.
In granting the permit, the DOE noted that under an amended proposal in 2013, the New Hampshire portion of the project was to consist of two segments. The first would be a single-circuit, 300-kilovolt (kV) high-voltage, direct current (HVDC) transmission line running 153 miles from the U.S. border crossing near Pittsburg to a new HVDC-to-alternating current (AC) transformer facility to be built in Franklin, New Hampshire. The second segment was to be a 345-kV AC electric transmission line running 34 miles from Franklin to a proposed terminus at the Public Service Company of New Hampshire's existing Deerfield substation. The total length would have been 187 miles.
Eversource and Northern Pass Transmission changed the proposal in August 2015, increasing the amount of proposed buried transmission line from eight miles to about 60 miles, and increasing the length to 192 miles. The buried line will prevent the project from marring views of the White Mountain National Forest Area.
The project is on track to start construction in mid-2018, with the goal of having it in service in the third quarter of 2020 in time for the winter season.
The project still must clear some regulatory hurdles. Eversource received a setback in late August when the New Hampshire Site Evaluation Committee said it would delay its final decision until 2018, with a written decision to be issued as late as March 31.
Eversource Energy Executive Vice President of Enterprise Energy Strategy and Business Development Leon Olivier said during the company's third-quarter earnings conference call on November 2 that he expects no further state regulatory delays: "We have a very strong governor in New Hampshire that supports this project; the legislature supports this project, including the senior members of the legislature. The [Site Evaluation Committee] chairman has been very efficient and very judicious in the process, so we don't see any delays there."
The U.S. Forest Service (USFS) is expected to issue a final decision for a special use permit to allow burial of the transmission line through the White Mountain National Forest soon, but in a draft record of decision issued in September, the USFS proposed to approve the application, according to Eversource. The hydropower project will also prevent up to 3.2 million metric tons of CO2 emissions in New England, according to Eversource.
More hydroelectric transmission projects in the region may follow. Olivier said during Eversource's earnings conference call that Hydro-Quebec believes it could develop at least two other such projects in the region. Industrial Info is tracking more than $6 billion in active transmission & distribution projects in the New England region, which also includes Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Vermont.
Industrial Info Resources (IIR), with global headquarters in Sugar Land, Texas, six offices in North America and 12 international offices, is the leading provider of global market intelligence specializing in the industrial process, heavy manufacturing and energy markets. Industrial Info's quality-assurance philosophy, the Living Forward Reporting Principle, provides up-to-the-minute intelligence on what's happening now, while constantly keeping track of future opportunities. Follow IIR on: Facebook - Twitter - LinkedIn. For more information on our coverage, send inquiries to info@industrialinfo.com or visit us online at http://www.industrialinfo.com.
