Construction on the NECEC project restarted in August of 2023 in the city of Lewiston. The project team will begin work on a substation that will eventually connect the hydropower coming from Quebec to the New England grid.
PRESS RELEASE: AVANGRID’s NECEC Project May Lawfully Proceed
ORANGE, Conn. — April 20, 2023 — The following are statements from Pedro Azagra, AVANGRID CEO and Scott Mahoney, Senior Vice President – General Counsel at AVANGRID regarding today’s decision by a Cumberland County jury:
“I am very pleased by the outcome of the court case and appreciate the great work and support of the Avangrid Board and management team and all of our supporters over the last several years to develop this pivotal clean energy project.” - Pedro Azagra, AVANGRID CEO
“The jury’s unanimous verdict affirms the prior rulings of the Maine Supreme Judicial Court that the New England Clean Energy Connect (NECEC) project may lawfully proceed. Even after repeated delays and the costs caused by the change in law, the NECEC project remains the best way to bring low-cost renewable energy to Maine and New England while removing millions of metric tons of carbon from our atmosphere each year.” - Scott Mahoney, Senior Vice President – General Counsel at AVANGRID
About AVANGRID: AVANGRID, Inc. (NYSE: AGR) aspires to be the leading sustainable energy company in the United States. Headquartered in Orange, CT with approximately $41 billion in assets and operations in 24 U.S. states, AVANGRID has two primary lines of business: Avangrid Networks and Avangrid Renewables. Avangrid Networks owns and operates eight electric and natural gas utilities, serving more than 3.3 million customers in New York and New England. Avangrid Renewables owns and operates a portfolio of renewable energy generation facilities across the United States. AVANGRID employs more than 7,600 people and has been recognized by JUST Capital for three consecutive years as one of the JUST 100 companies – a ranking of America’s best corporate citizens. In 2022, AVANGRID ranked second within the utility sector for its commitment to the environment and the communities it serves. The company supports the U.N.’s Sustainable Development Goals and was named among the World’s Most Ethical Companies in 2022 for the fourth consecutive year by the Ethisphere Institute. For more information, visit www.avangrid.com.
About Iberdrola: Iberdrola is one of the world's biggest energy companies and a leader in renewables, spearheading the energy transition to a low carbon economy. The group supplies energy to almost 100 million people in dozens of countries. With a focus on renewable energy, smart networks and smart solutions for customers, Iberdrola’s main markets include Europe (Spain, the United Kingdom, Portugal, France, Germany, Italy and Greece), the United States, Brazil, Mexico and Australia. The company is also present in growth markets such as Japan, Taiwan, Ireland, Sweden and Poland, among others.
With a workforce of nearly 40,000 and assets in excess of €141.7 billion, across the world, Iberdrola helps to support 400,000 jobs across its supply chain, with annual procurement of €12.2 billion. A benchmark in the fight against climate change, Iberdrola has invested more than €130 billion over the past two decades to help build a sustainable energy model, based on sound environmental, social and governance (ESG) principles.
PRESS RELEASE: MAINE SUPREME COURT RULES STATE-ISSUED LEASE FOR NECEC TRANSMISSION PROJECT VALID
“Today’s ruling by the Law Court is yet another step in the right direction for Maine’s renewable energy future. The serious need for the NECEC project to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels, combat climate change, and lower regional energy prices remains unchanged. For the past three years, despite opposition funding by fossil fuel interests, every regulatory body at the local, state, and federal level has thoroughly reviewed the New England Clean Energy Connect and all agree the NECEC is beneficial for Mainers. We are pleased with today’s ruling and look forward to determining our next steps for this critical project.”
PROJECT UPDATE
PROJECT UPDATE: The Canadian government has issued the final permit necessary to construct the Canadian transmission line that will connect to the Clean Energy Corridor in Maine. More in the BDN
BREAKING NEWS
The U.S. District Court has lifted the temporary injunction preventing construction of Segment 1 of the Clean Energy Corridor.
The ruling by the First Circuit Court is a victory for Maine’s clean energy future. The NECEC has met every benchmark in a rigorous, three-year permitting process, resulting in $300 million in contracts to Maine construction companies and nearly 80% of jobs going to Maine workers. The Clean Energy Corridor will eliminate over three million metric tons of dirty emission from the New England energy grid each year by replacing fossil fuels with clean hydropower, reducing pollution, and improving air quality in Maine for generations to come.
MAINE AFL-CIO ENDORSES NEW ENGLAND CLEAN ENERGY CONNECT
As the majority of the labor working on the New England Clean Energy Connect are Maine union workers, the Clean Energy Corridor is incredibly pleased to have the support and endorsement of our country’s largest federation of unions, the AFL-CIO, and its Maine affiliates. This project will employ 1,600 total workers annually while removing millions of metric tons of carbon from our atmosphere. We look forward to employing more Maine union members as construction expands while moving our state closer to its carbon emission goals.
Lewiston Planning Board
The Lewiston Planning Board this week voted unanimously to approve two critical sections of the Clean Energy Corridor in the city.
PROJECT UPDATE
Workers have set the 15th pole in the Clean Energy Corridor's second segment!
PROJECT UPDATE
Construction has Begun.
Reaction to federal ruling on construction of Segment One
On Friday afternoon, a federal judge in Boston issued a ruling that will pause construction on one segment of the Clean Energy Corridor while the judge reviews the permit issued by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Construction on the other two segments will proceed as planned. Below is a statement from NECEC on the decision:
“This project has been through a number of court challenges and the significant economic and environmental benefits of this project to Maine and the region remain strong. While this legal process plays out, we will not be conducting construction activities in segment one of the line.”
PROJECT UPDATE: NECEC has successfully completed all major permitting
The project has received the Presidential Permit from the US Department of Energy. Read full press release.
PROJECT UPDATE: Merrill Road Converter Station
The planning board for the City of Lewiston yesterday unanimously approved construction of the Clean Energy Corridor's DC-to-AC converter station off Merrill Road.
Read more about it in the Sun Journal.
PROJECT UPDATE: Hiring Mainers
With construction ready to get underway, the New England Clean Energy Connect has begun hiring for the first of 1,600 jobs building the Clean Energy Corridor. Mainers will be given top priority for the jobs. More information is available at necleanenergyconnect.org/jobs
2020 in review
We hope you and your loved ones had a happy and safe holiday season. We would like to take a moment to look back at what an extraordinary year it has been for the New England Clean Energy Connect.
LOOKING BACK
In 2020, the Clean Energy Corridor met several significant milestones as we prepare for construction to begin.
Permits
Final permits were granted for the project by the Maine Public Utilities Commission, the Maine Land Use Planning Commission, the Maine Department of Environmental Protection, and the Army Corps of Engineers. Having these permits secured allows us to begin construction on the corridor in Maine. The Presidential permit is the final piece of the puzzle. This will allow construction to cross over the border into Québec. We hope to have this permit in place in the coming weeks…
Major milestone
The next significant benchmark in the NECEC process has been met with the issuing of the permit from the Army Corps of Engineers. With that approval in hand, our work can now begin and the positive environmental and economic impact the project will create will become a reality. That impact will be felt almost immediately thanks to the recently signed deal between the NECEC and the state. Benefits that were expected to be delivered in a few years will be delivered now.
Final preparations are in motion, jobs are being filled, and the hiring process is in full swing. It is important to note that Mainers will be given first preference in every instance to fill these jobs. These jobs will go to a mix of both union and non-union labor. We expect to break ground on the project by the end of the year. I speak for the entire project team in expressing our excitement as we prepare to embark on the construction of the Clean Energy Corridor.
Legal News
The Maine Ethics Commission unanimously voted to deny Stop the Corridor’s request to vacate a subpoena issued by the Commission. The subpoena would allow the commission to investigate Stop the Corridor’s funders and its expenditures.
In the subpoena, the Commission makes seven specific requests of Stop the Corridor to share documents, contracts, and budgets relevant to the investigation (those requests are outlined beginning HERE on page 17; a redacted copy of the actual subpoena begins on page 21). Stop the Corridor made cash contributions of untold amounts to the Natural Resources Council of Maine and spent millions opposing the NECEC. Natural Resources Council of Maine has never commented on-the-record about its financial relationship with Stop the Corridor.
Mainers helped make transmission line project better
Working on the New England Clean Energy Connect has provided me with so many wonderful opportunities to travel around our great state and talk with Mainers about the significant benefits the project will bring us— lower energy costs for Maine families and businesses, reductions in greenhouse gases threatening our way of life, and a more reliable electric transmission system to keep us safe. Along the way, I’ve also heard your concerns about the project.
What I’m most proud of is that the team developing this project has listened and worked hard to address the issues Mainers have raised. When it was said the project would cross through too much forestland, we refined our route and the amount of impacted forest land to less than 1,000 acres, a tiny fraction of the 411,000 acres that are harvested for timber every year. We heard that the corridor was too wide, so our design was adjusted to narrow it from 150 feet to 54 feet at the widest point. Many folks didn’t want the transmission line to go over the Kennebec River, so we changed our plans to go under the riverbed.
July update
The big story of the past month is the announcement by Governor Mills that Hydro-Québec has signed a formal binding commitment to sell electricity directly to Maine at a discounted price via the NECEC. This commitment will result in enough clean energy to power approximately 70,000 homes or 10,000 businesses in Maine. The new agreement also ensures that Maine will see increased benefits from this project several years earlier than planned. Maine’s Public Advocate Barry Hobbins endorsed the deal, saying, “This commitment adds to the already significant stipulation that was negotiated and ensures that Maine ratepayers will receive lower cost electricity as a result of this project.”
June update
We continue to wait on a ruling regarding a lawsuit filed by AVANGRID Networks, the parent company of Central Maine Power which questions the constitutionality of the referendum proposed by opponents of the NECEC in two instances. First, the referendum exceeds the legislative power provided to the people under the Constitution. Second, the referendum violates the separation of powers provision of the Maine Constitution. The lawsuit is supported by the Maine State Chamber of Commerce and the Industrial Energy Consumer’s Group (IECG). A decision is expected by the end of the summer.