Vermont Business Magazine TDI New England has scheduled six open house meetings in Vermont at locations along the proposed overland route of the New England Clean Power Link transmission project to meet with community members and provide more information on the project. The New England Clean Power Link is a proposed 154-mile underwater and underground transmission line that would deliver 1,000 MW of hydroelectricity to the New England market. The line is being developed with private sector financing by TDI New England and would originate at the Vermont-Quebec border and travel underwater down Lake Champlain to Benson, Vermont, and through existing road rights-of-ways to a new converter station that would be built in Ludlow. The estimated cost is $1.2 billion and would be completed in 2019.
The meetings will feature company representatives and consultants who will be available to discuss the project with interested members of the public. These meetings will focus on the proposed overland segment of the project, where the transmission line is proposed to be buried within State and Local road right-of-ways. Handouts and other information will be available.
TDI New England Chief Executive Officer Donald Jessome said, “We are looking forward to having these open houses and discussing the proposed project with Vermonters. The Clean Power Link will have tremendous benefits for Vermont and all of New England, but we also understand the public needs to have as much information as possible to understand the project. We are committed to developing the project in an open, transparent manner and we encourage everyone who is interested to attend a meeting.”
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TDI New England has already spent months conducting outreach to local officials, stakeholder groups and landowners to inform them about the project. These meetings are the next step in the public outreach the company has planned for the project. In addition to these meetings, there will be many chances for the public to receive updates on the project and provide comments throughout the state and federal permitting process.
The meeting details are as follows:
· August 19: Ludlow Town Hall, 37 Depot Street, Ludlow 7-9 pm
· August 21: Mount Holly Town Offices, 50 School St, Mount Holly 6-8 pm
· August 27: Castleton Community Center, 2108 Main St., Castleton 7-9 pm
· August 28: Alburgh Town Offices, 1 North Main Street, Alburgh, 6-8 pm
· September 2: Clarendon Community Center, Moulton Ave/Grange Hall Road, Clarendon, 6-8 pm
· September 4: Benson Community Hall, 2724 Stage Road, Benson 6-8 pm
ABOUT THE PROJECT
- 150 mile line, completely buried
- Targeted in-service date of 2019
- Enough power to serve one million homes
- 1,000 MW of entirely clean power
TDI said the project will provide:
- Low-cost hydropower will benefit Vermont and New England ratepayers by reducing electricity costs by $2 billion over 10 years
- Hundreds of jobs created over the 2+ year construction period
- Privately-financed merchant project places no burden on ratepayers or taxpayers
- New tax revenue for Vermont
- No need for above-ground transmission lines
- Deliver renewable, clean, reliable hydropower
- Supports New England governors’ efforts to import low-cost, green, reliable power
- Will be built to the highest environmental standards to protect Lake Champlain and Vermont’s natural resources
- Bringing hydroelectric power to New England will enhance the region’s fuel diversity
- Strengthens and diversifies the Vermont electric grid
- Hardened infrastructure will protect the line from natural disasters
- “Black Start” capability can quickly restart the electric grid in case of a blackout
About TDI New England
TDI New England is a subsidiary of Blackstone Group, which is headquartered in New York City. Blackstone is a global leader in alternative asset management with $272 billion currently under management. The TDI New England team is made up of the same leadership team currently developing the Champlain Hudson Power Express in New York State. www.necplink.com (link is external).
Source: TDI 8.12.2014.