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.
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Showing posts with label Clean Power Link. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Clean Power Link. Show all posts
New England Clean Power Link proposed
Tuesday, November 19, 2013
A developer of electric transmission lines has proposed a new line that would connect New England to Quebec. The so-called New England Clean Power Link would run about 150 miles from the U.S.-Canadian border to Ludlow, Vermont. While the line shares some features with other proposed ties to the Canadian power grid -- including its development team -- the New England Clean Power Link differs from prior proposals in several regards.
Demand for electricity in the northeastern United States, and in particular for renewable power, has led to interest in developing several transmission lines to Canada. Provincial crown corporation Hydro-Quebec has many large hydroelectric dams, and continues to develop Quebec's rivers for power production. Meanwhile, Newfoundland utility Nalcor is developing gigawatt-scale hydropower on the Churchill River in Labrador, with aims to export the power to eastern Canada and the U.S.
This relative surplus of Canadian hydropower has led developers to propose transmission lines connecting Quebec resources to New England consumers. These lines include the Champlain-Hudson Power Express from Canada to New York City, and the Northern Pass from Canada into New Hampshire.
The $1.2 billion Clean Power Link would have a capacity of 1,000 megawatts, roughly equal to the size of a nuclear power plant. Like previous proposals, the newly-proposed line is motivated by the perceived opportunity to sell Canadian power in New England. The Clean Power Link also shares features in common with other proposals, in that it would be a high-voltage direct current or HVDC line. Notably, it would also be developed and financed by TDI New England, a Blackstone Group subsidiary led by the team behind the Champlain-Hudson Power Express.
Like that line, it would run about 100 miles under Vermont's Lake Champlain. South of the lake, the Clean Power Link proposal features lines buried underground. This contrasts with the Northern Pass, whose traditional wires-on-towers architecture has drawn significant opposition in New Hampshire.
The Clean Power Link faces a regulatory process including environmental and energy permitting, and is also dependent on the market forces that motivated its proposal. It is unclear whether any of the proposed transmission lines to Canada will actually be built, let alone which one. For now, TDI aims to build the line and place it in service by 2019.
Demand for electricity in the northeastern United States, and in particular for renewable power, has led to interest in developing several transmission lines to Canada. Provincial crown corporation Hydro-Quebec has many large hydroelectric dams, and continues to develop Quebec's rivers for power production. Meanwhile, Newfoundland utility Nalcor is developing gigawatt-scale hydropower on the Churchill River in Labrador, with aims to export the power to eastern Canada and the U.S.
This relative surplus of Canadian hydropower has led developers to propose transmission lines connecting Quebec resources to New England consumers. These lines include the Champlain-Hudson Power Express from Canada to New York City, and the Northern Pass from Canada into New Hampshire.
The $1.2 billion Clean Power Link would have a capacity of 1,000 megawatts, roughly equal to the size of a nuclear power plant. Like previous proposals, the newly-proposed line is motivated by the perceived opportunity to sell Canadian power in New England. The Clean Power Link also shares features in common with other proposals, in that it would be a high-voltage direct current or HVDC line. Notably, it would also be developed and financed by TDI New England, a Blackstone Group subsidiary led by the team behind the Champlain-Hudson Power Express.
Like that line, it would run about 100 miles under Vermont's Lake Champlain. South of the lake, the Clean Power Link proposal features lines buried underground. This contrasts with the Northern Pass, whose traditional wires-on-towers architecture has drawn significant opposition in New Hampshire.
The Clean Power Link faces a regulatory process including environmental and energy permitting, and is also dependent on the market forces that motivated its proposal. It is unclear whether any of the proposed transmission lines to Canada will actually be built, let alone which one. For now, TDI aims to build the line and place it in service by 2019.
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