[English Translation of French-language report in La Presse. Link to original below.]
The three states of New England, who had launched a call for proposals for purchase of clean energy, have retained neither tenders by Hydro-Quebec, which is a major setback for the corporation which wants to increase its export earnings.
Hydro-Québec and its partner Eversource relied on the contract with the states of Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island to finance their joint project Northern Pass, a new transmission line of 1.6 billion US between Quebec and New Hampshire.
The decision by the three States not to accept the proposal of Hydro-Québec and its partners is a blow to Northern Pass, but it does not mean the death of the project, according to the corporation. "The project is still feasible," said his spokesman, Gary Sutherland.
According to him, Hydro-Québec and its partners are now targeting Eversource the tender to come from the state of Massachusetts, which particularly involves the purchase of hydroelectric power. "This is now on our radar," said he said.
This tender, expected in April 2017, however, is more modest than done jointly by the three states of the region.
The proposed Hydro-Québec and Eversource was by far the largest bid submitted in the framework of the joint tender. It was for the supply of 6.3 terawatt hours of electricity per year.
Hydro-Québec submitted a second proposal with other partners, including Vermont Greenline and a producer of wind power in northern New York State, which was not adopted either.
No reason has been made public to explain the choice of bidders. The three states have however chosen feasible projects locally, and no need to build a cross-border transmission line.
The seven selected projects totaling 460 megawatts, mainly energy wind and solar source.
The decision of the Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island is the culmination of a process that began in February 2015. It was a great first could have become the most important long-term contract ever signed by Hydro-Québec .
The corporation has set a goal of doubling its 2030 revenue, increasing exports and by acquiring assets abroad.
Its recent attempt to get hold of some of RTE, the largest electricity transmission network in Europe, 4 billion, failed this summer.