Lessons from the New England Clean Energy Connect Debacle

In November 2021, almost 60% of voters in Maine voted to stop construction on the New England Clean Energy Connect, a 145-mile high-voltage transmission corridor being developed by Central Maine Power (CMP) and Hydro-Quebec. Since then, as requested by the state’s voters, the project has been halted. The question is, why did this happen and what can we learn from this?

Lessons Learned from the New England Clean Energy Connect Stoppage

The conflict seems to primarily be the result of differences in perspectives between those concerned with environmental conservation versus those concerned with the infrastructure build-out needed to transition to a low-carbon grid.

The objective of the New England Clean Energy Connect project is to deliver hydropower from Canada to Massachusetts to help meet the state’s clean energy goals. Unfortunately, the construction would impact 53 miles of land within the largest temperate forest in North America, and this is something that environmental groups such as the Natural Resources Council of Maine (NRCM) oppose. Thus, you have a situation ripe for conflict. And what a conflict it was, with a whopping $91 million spent to influence the vote.

The problem is that the project was pushed forward without the necessary collaboration or input from all stakeholder perspectives. New England residents likely understand the need to expand transmission capabilities, but they also want it done in a legal manner, with ample opportunities for public input, and in a way that minimizes environmental impact.

Here are a few other lessons from the debacle:

• The project was lacking in predictive analytics based on data modelling to quantify the climate benefits. This would have helped demonstrate the need for the project.
• Not enough effort was made during the planning process to co-locate the new lines with existing infrastructure.
• The decision-making was too grounded in politics. To the extent possible, politics should be removed from the equation so that the project benefits can take center stage.

The bottom line is that the New England Clean Energy Connect project should be moving forward, but unfortunately was derailed by a lack of long-run planning, not enough public and stakeholder input, not enough environmental considerations, failure to provide quantified benefits, failure to put enough priority on co-locating infrastructure, and too much political bologna.