Hartford conglomerate Northeast Utilities on Thursday proposed a new route for its $1.4 billion Northern Pass transmission power line from Quebec to New England, including burying eight miles of the 187-mile line.
Northern Pass would be a significant financial win for NU, as the company could import cheap Canadian hydropower to sell in the New England electricity market, the most expensive in the continental United States. However, the company has encountered great resistance among the landowners in New Hampshire’s North Country, who have foiled previous attempts by NU to buy easements for the route mostly because of the impact visually on the scenic area.
In announcing the new route, NU reversed its previous stance of not undergrounding any portion of the line. The new proposal increases the use of existing rights-of-way already owned by NU to 147 miles. The company also claims the overhead portions of the line in the North Country will be more remote and more shielded from view by taking advantage of buffers and populated areas. The overhead lines and structures will be lower to the ground. NU will conduct a visual impact assessment, and the U.S. Department of Energy will conduct its own independent visual impact assessment.
The company also pushed back Northern Pass’s expected in-service date from early 2017 to mid-2017.
Northern Pass got a small boost politically in Connecticut in June when the state legislature changed its definition of renewable power to include hydro. Although Northern Pass is not needed to meet Connecticut’s renewable goals and the political move will carry little clout in New Hampshire, the legislature’s decision will help NU better sell the environmental and financial benefits of Northern Pass to the region.
NU is dually headquartered in Hartford and Boston. The conglomerate includes six electric and natural gas subsidiaries, including Connecticut Light & Power and Yankee Gas, both based in Berlin.