Developer applies to VT for Clean Power Link transmission line

A proposed electric transmission line from Quebec into New England took a step forward this week, as the developer of the New England Clean Power Link applied to Vermont regulators for key project approvals.

Transmission Developers Inc. subsidiary TDI New England has proposed the New England Clean Power Link to bring Canadian hydropower and other electricity to the renewable-hungry New England market.  With an estimated project cost of $1.2 billion, the 1000-megawatt high-voltage direct-current transmission line would run under Lake Champlain and underground to a converter station in Ludlow, Vermont, near where it would connect to the existing electric grid owned by Vermont Electric Power Company (VELCO).

Under Vermont law, the state Public Service Board regulates many aspects of the electric grid.  Section 248 of Title 30 of Vermont's statutes requires companies to obtain approval from the Board before beginning site preparation or construction of electric transmission facilities, electric generation facilities and certain gas pipelines within Vermont.  For facilities like the proposed transmission line, that Board approval comes in the form of a Certificate of Public Good. 

On December 8, 2014, TDI subsidiary Champlain VT, LLC d/b/a TDI New England applied to the Board for a Certificate of Public Good for the project.  TDI's petition notes that the project "would contribute to meeting State and regional energy and sustainability goals and result in millions of tons/year in reduced greenhouse gas emissions by replacing electricity generated by fossil fuels," and that running cables under the lake and underground avoids adverse impacts from above-ground installations.  Other benefits touted by TDI include economic development (with about $1.5 billion in claimed economic benefits to Vermont and the entire region over the project's 40-year life), improved electric reliability and fuel diversity, and help in mitigating the impacts of the anticipated loss of the Vermont Yankee nuclear station and other major power plants.

TDI's proposal includes components specifically designed to yield local community benefits and thus to cultivate local support for the project.  These components include creating $122 million in funds to improve Lake Champlain's water quality, habitat, and recreational values, plus another $40 million for Vermont's Clean Energy Development Fund.

TDI's project now comes before the Vermont Public Service Board for review.  The project also needs a presidential permit issued by the U.S. Department of Energy to cross the international boundary, as well as a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers permit for impacts to water resources.

At the same time, another transmission line has been proposed under Lake Champlain, namely the $2.2 billion Champlain Hudson Power Express meant to connect Quebec to New York City.