Vermont Business Magazine National Grid in Waltham, MA, todayannounced a proposal to develop an innovative, new transmission project that wouldbring up to 1,200 megawatts of clean energy from Canada to the New Englandpower grid.To drive down costs,increase efficiency andminimize environmental impacts, the proposed GraniteState Power Link (GSPL) will be constructed almost entirely along existingtransmissioncorridors and will maximize use of existing infrastructure.
Asproposed, the GSPL comprises two segments: the first is a new high-voltage,direct current (HVDC) overhead line located in Vermontalongside an existingHVDC line in an expanded right-of-way corridor from the international border atNorton, VT, to a proposed converterstation on National Grid-owned property in Monroe,New Hampshire.The second segment is anupgrade of an existing National Grid overheadline in NH to accommodate theadditional power flow from the new HVDC line. That line runs from Monroe to southernNH, where a proposedswitching station would be built.
This could be a possible competitor of a proposal by TDI to run a 1GW power line down Lake Champlain and across the state to Ludlow to provide wholesale power to New England utilities. The TDI plan likely would generate higher taxes and fees to Vermont than the National Grid cable that only slices through Vermont in the upper northwes corner.
RELATED STORY:TDI receives DOE permit for 1 gig electric cable under Lake Champlain
There is no shortage of electricity in the region at the moment, which would raise concerns about the efficacy of either or both. TDI is also privately funded.
“Webelieve this proposed project reflects the priorities we’ve heard from stateand local communities on their need for lower cost, energyefficient andenvironmentally sound solutions,” said John Flynn, National Grid senior vicepresident of Business Development. “The GSPLmeets these tests; our stakeholderengagement and outreach is underway and we look forward to continuing our workwith communities of alltypes to earn their support. Community dialogue andengagement will be a hallmark of GSPL.”
GSPLis a commercial project; its development will be funded by National Grid andits investors, not customers of its regulated companies.
An investor in the projectis a non-profit energy company that works with utilities and developers acrossthe country to develop cleantransmission projects and uses revenues from theseventures to finance new charitable programs to help low-income working familieswith theirenergy needs.
Continuing thiscommitment, Massachusetts-based Citizens Energy has pledged to use 50 percentof its own profits from theproject to fund energy assistance programs for localfamilies living in NH and VT.
GSPL will providesignificant economic benefits in NH and VT.More than an estimated 2,000 jobs will be created during constructionand theproject host communities and key state programs will receivesignificant new tax revenues and direct benefits.National Grid will be meetingwith hostcommunities and state officials in the coming months to discuss these and otherbenefits.
The project is alsoexpected to lower energy costs across New England by $1.1 billion over its first10 years of operation.
“We designed this projectto be a win-win-win for New England’s energy consumers, the project host statesand communities, and theenvironment,” Flynn said. “When you combine theproject’s potentialto lower regional electricity rates, economic development investment,environmental benefits, its cost-effectiveness, and the minimal visual andenvironmental impacts to the host communities, it’s clear that GSPLis uniquelypositioned to bring clean energy to life in the region.”
"NVDAis pleased to support and welcome the development of the Granite State PowerLink in the Northeast Kingdom," said Dave Snedeker,executive director of theNortheastern Vermont Development Association. "The project, developed nextto an existing transmission corridor, willhave a limited environmental andvisual impact, and will deliver significant economic benefits to an area ofVermont that desperately needs aneconomic boost. We look forward to workingwith National Grid to further define what the specific economic benefits willbe."
NationalGrid is a world leader in developing large, complex transmission projects,including major HVDC interconnectors.National Grid built,co-owns and operates the nation’s first HVDCsystem, which interconnects New England and Canada and has delivered up to2,000megawatts of clean energy for more than 25 years.In the UK, National Grid co-developed andco-owns interconnectors to France and theNetherlands, and is developing othersthat will connect the UK to Norway and Belgium.A second link to France is under consideration, alongwithinterconnectors to Denmark and Iceland.
InDecember, National Grid completed sea2shore: The Renewable Link, a transmissionproject that interconnected the nation’s first offshorewind farm, located offthe Rhode Island coast, to the mainland grid.
NationalGrid is also a leader in developing and implementing award-winning energy efficiencyprograms that have significantly contributed toreducing greenhouse gasemissions.In the past several years,National Grid has helped make over a million homes and businesses moreefficient, saving customers millions of megawatt hours of electricity andhundreds of millions of therms of natural gas.This equates to takingmore than 700,000 cars off the road for ayear.Since 2009, the states whereNational Grid operates all have ranked in the top 10 most energyefficient inthe US.
About National Grid
NationalGrid (LSE: NG; NYSE: NGG) is an electricity and natural gas delivery companythat connects nearly 7 million customers to vital energy sources through itsnetworks in New York,Massachusetts and Rhode Island. It is the largestdistributor of natural gas in the Northeast. National Grid also operates thesystems that deliver gas and electricity across Great Britain.
Throughits U.S. Connect21 strategy, National Grid is transforming its electricity andnatural gas networks to support the 21st century digital economy with smarter,cleaner, and more resilientenergy solutions. Connect21 is vital to ourcommunities' long-term economic and environmental health and aligns withregulatory initiatives in New York (REV: Reforming the Energy Vision)andMassachusetts (Grid Modernization).
Source: WALTHAM, Mass. - March 28, 2017 -National GridFormore information please visitourwebsite,or ourConnectingwebsite,follow us onTwitter,watch us onYouTube,friend us onFacebook,find our photos onInstagram.Formore information please visitwww.GraniteStatePowerLink.com.