The New Hampshire Site Evaluation Committee on May 24 rejected an appeal asking it to reconsider its decision earlier this year that denied the Northern Pass project's application for a 192-mile, $1.6 billion transmission system that would deliver lower-cost Canadian hydropower through New Hampshire and into neighboring Massachusetts.
Northern Pass officials on Feb. 28 filed an appeal with the New Hampshire Site Evaluation Committee asking the committee to reconsider its 7-0 decision on Feb. 1 to reject an application for the Northern Pass transmission project.
Northern Pass officials on May 24 expressed disappointment in the decision by the New Hampshire Site Evaluation Committee to reject its motion asking the committee to reconsider its denial of a siting certificate.
“We intend to pursue all options for making this critical clean energy project a reality, along with the many economic and environmental benefits for New Hampshire and the region,” said Eversource New Hampshire President Bill Quinlan. “This opportunity to significantly lower energy costs for customers should be given great weight.”
After a solicitation for 9.45 million megawatt hours a year of clean energy, in January a group of Massachusetts utilities selected the Northern Pass transmission line proposal, designed to deliver 1,090 megawatts from Hydro-Quebec.
The Northern Pass Transmission Line Project bid was submitted by Eversource and Hydro-Québec. The hydropower to be delivered by the project to New England’s power grid would come from Hydro-Québec’s hydroelectric plants.
However, the Massachusetts utilities on March 28 dropped a plan to import hydroelectricity from Canada on the proposed Northern Pass power line and opted instead for a power line project in Maine.
