Permit Follows Record of Decision and
Concludes Environmental Review of the Most Advanced Clean Energy
Project in New England
Eversource Energy and Northern Pass Transmission LLC (NPT), a
subsidiary of Eversource Energy, today announced that the U.S.
Department of Energy (DOE) has issued a Record of
Decision (ROD) and approved the Presidential
Permit for the Northern Pass hydroelectric transmission
project that will allow NPT to construct transmission facilities at
the U.S./Canada border in Pittsburg, New Hampshire. This approval
is the culmination of a thorough review of the project that
involved numerous federal agencies, extensive public involvement,
and detailed consideration of approximately a dozen different
alternatives.
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“We are pleased to see the DOE permitting process for Northern
Pass draw to a close, and appreciate the years of diligent work
done by the federal agencies in reaching this critical project
milestone,” said Eversource New Hampshire President Bill Quinlan.
“With the New Hampshire and Canadian permitting processes also
nearing completion, and considering we have all major contractor,
equipment and labor agreements in place, Northern Pass is on track
to begin construction by mid-2018. This is good news for customers,
and for the broad and diverse group of New Hampshire stakeholders
who support this project for the many benefits it will bring to the
state and the region.” (See attached quotes.)
In approving the Presidential Permit for Northern Pass, DOE
found that the permit was in the public interest and that the
project would have no adverse impacts on reliability of the U.S.
electric power system, particularly in New England. As required,
DOE also obtained favorable recommendations from the U.S.
Departments of State and Defense. The extensive review of Northern
Pass was led by DOE and involved the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency, the U.S. Forest Service – White Mountain National Forest,
the New England District of the Army Corps of Engineers and the New
Hampshire Office of Energy Planning as cooperating agencies. The
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service also participated in the review of
potential impacts on threatened and endangered species.
The U.S. Forest Service (USFS) is expected to issue a separate
final ROD soon in response to NPT’s application for a special use
permit to allow burial of the transmission line through the White
Mountain National Forest. In a draft ROD issued in September, the
USFS proposed to approve NPT’s application, concluding that the
short-term construction impacts of the project are “more than
outweighed by the benefits of bringing additional hydropower to the
New England grid.”
Northern Pass will result in up to 3.2 million metric tons of
avoided CO2 emissions per year in New England. Estimated wholesale
electricity market benefits are approximately $600 million annually
for New England and $62 million annually for New Hampshire.
Northern Pass will create a significant increase in New Hampshire’s
Gross Domestic Product, estimated to be $2.2 billion over the
project’s construction period and in the first 10 years of
operation, and the project will create 2,600 jobs in New Hampshire
during construction.
Beyond its clean energy benefits and energy cost savings,
Northern Pass will provide a number of benefits unique to New
Hampshire, including about $30 million annually in additional tax
revenue to communities along the route; $7.5 million to the North
Country Job Creation Fund to develop and retain jobs in the North
Country; thousands of acres set aside for conservation, recreation
and mixed-use; and the $200 million Forward NH Fund to support
clean energy innovations, economic development, community
investment, and tourism.
The Northern Pass transmission line will begin at the Canadian
border in Pittsburg, New Hampshire and extend to Deerfield, New
Hampshire where it will connect to the New England grid. More than
80 percent of the line will be located along existing transmission
corridors or buried along roadways to eliminate potential view
impacts in the White Mountain National Forest area. Northern Pass
will provide a robust, new interconnection path between the Québec
and New England electric systems, and will be controlled by the
regional system operator, ISO-New England.
Broad Support in New Hampshire
Tony Giunta
Mayor-elect, City of Franklin, NH
“Issuance of the Presidential Permit for the Northern Pass
project is great news for the City of Franklin and other
municipalities that will directly benefit from the millions of new
dollars being invested in our communities. We greatly appreciate
the thoroughness and speed at which the U.S. Department of Energy
acted on this critical renewable energy project.”
Guy Montminy
Senior Vice President and Deputy General Manager, BAE Systems
Electronic Systems, Nashua, NH
“News that the Northern Pass project is now one step closer to
providing clean, renewable, reliable, low-cost power to New
Hampshire and New England is encouraging. BAE Systems saw its
energy costs in New Hampshire grow by 24 percent per kilowatt hour
from 2014 to 2016. If these cost increases continue, they threaten
New Hampshire’s economic growth. There is no dispute that the best
way to definitively lower electricity costs is to bring more
reliable, affordable electricity into the New England power market.
The clean, renewable power Northern Pass will bring to the region
will help address these cost increases while appropriately
protecting environmental resources. The state Site Evaluation
Committee should follow the lead of federal regulators and approve
this project without any further delays.”
Brian Murphy
Business Manager of IBEW Local 104 of Barrington, NH
“The issuance of the federal Record of Decision and Presidential
Permit by the U.S. Department of Energy represents a major
milestone for the Northern Pass project and the thousands of New
Hampshire working families that will benefit from this project.
After conducting scores of public hearings and receiving thousands
of public comments, the U.S. DOE correctly concluded that this
project provides great benefit to the people of New Hampshire and
New England. IBEW applauds the thorough and efficient permitting
work of the U.S. Department of Energy, and we look forward to
getting to work building this critical energy infrastructure
project.”
Tracy Hatch
President & CEO, Greater Nashua Chamber of Commerce,
Nashua, NH
“As New Hampshire businesses look to expand and grow, and as
out-of-state and international companies look to relocate to New
Hampshire, one of the biggest challenges they all face is the high
and too often volatile cost of energy. From manufacturing to health
care, and from hospitality to retail to high-tech software
development, virtually every industry we have and want to attract
needs a reliable source of energy at a price they can afford with
the capacity to meet their needs. Northern Pass promises to provide
all that and more. Our Chamber strongly supports Northern Pass and
applauds this major step forward.”
Michael Skelton
President & CEO, Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce,
Manchester, NH
“Growing New Hampshire’s economy is directly tied to
availability of low-cost and reliable sources of energy. The GMCC
has supported Northern Pass for years as we know an energy project
of this scale will deliver tremendous value to our economy and help
attract and retain businesses and jobs to the Granite State,
especially from the manufacturing sector. We are pleased to see
Northern Pass achieve this important milestone.”
The Northern Pass is a 192-mile electric transmission line
project that will bring to New England 1,090 megawatts of clean
hydropower. This reliable and affordable source of power will also
bring a wide range of benefits to the region, including millions of
dollars in energy cost savings and a significant reduction in
carbon emissions. To learn more about Northern Pass, go
to www.northernpass.us.
Eversource (NYSE: ES) transmits and delivers electricity and
natural gas to more than 3.7 million electric and natural gas
customers in Connecticut, Massachusetts and New Hampshire.
Recognized as the top U.S. utility for its energy efficiency
programs by the sustainability advocacy organization Ceres,
Eversource harnesses the commitment of its approximately 8,000
employees across three states to build a single, united company
around the mission of safely delivering reliable energy and
superior customer service. For more information, please visit our
website at Eversource.com and follow us on Twitter (@eversourceNH)
and Facebook (facebook.com/EversourceNH).
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version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20171116006385/en/
For Northern PassMartin Murray,
603-634-2228martin.murray@eversource.comorKaitlyn Woods,
603-634-2418kaitlyn.woods@eversource.com
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