THE BIGGEST utility companies in Massachusetts aren’t just part of the team judging the competition for a giant new state contract for renewable power — they’re also contestants.
If that seems like an unorthodox arrangement worth keeping a watchful eye on — well, it is.
The state has received 46 proposals for one of the most important pending infrastructure projects in the Commonwealth: a massive electricity transmission line to bring more renewable power into New England. Each of the plans would meet the state’s requirements in slightly different ways, but generally involve routes tapping into some combination of Canadian hydroelectric dams, northern New England or Canadian wind power, and solar.
The proposals stem from a law passed last year that’s designed to shift the state away from fossil fuels. With the scheduled closure of the Pilgrim nuclear plant, and the retreat from climate leadership at the federal level, wiring the Massachusetts power grid to those resources has become more crucial than ever.
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The law requires Massachusetts utilities to enter into new long-term contracts for renewables, which make the large transmission projects viable. Since the utilities are the customers, they have a seat at the table alongside state regulators when the decision is made on which project (or projects) to choose.
But the process gets dicey when the state’s major utilities are also pitching their own transmission plans. Eversource backs the Northern Pass project, which would route transmission through northern New Hampshire. National Grid is a partner in a proposed 59-mile transmission line in Vermont and New Hampshire.
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