The project is being developed by Northern Pass Transmission (NPT), a limited liability company formed by Eversource Energy.
The government also issued Record of Decision (ROD) for the project, which was subject to multiple layers of federal and state government permitting regulations since it was proposed in 2010.
Upon securing required approvals, NPT will construct the transmission facilities at the US/Canada border in Pittsburg, New Hampshire.
Eversource New Hampshire president Bill Quinlan said: “With the New Hampshire and Canadian permitting processes also nearing completion, and considering we have all major contractor, equipment and labor agreements in place, Northern Pass is on track to begin construction by mid-2018.”
Intended to deliver up to 1090MW of low-emission, reliable hydropower from Quebec, Canada to Deerfield, New Hampshire, the 192-mile transmission system is expected to reduce energy costs and also carbon footprint in the region.
Expected to create 2,600 jobs in America during construction phase, the project is now subject to approval by the State of New Hampshire’s Site Evaluation Committee.
The project is also expected to result in over $600m in annual energy cost savings for New England consumers.
US Energy Secretary Rick Perry said: “Smart energy infrastructure development projects like Northern Pass – which support a reliable and resilient grid, promote economic growth, lower energy costs and benefit the environment we all share – shouldn’t take this long to approve.”
Construction of the project is scheduled to commence as early as April of 2018.
The project is also expected to receive a separate final ROD from the US Forest Service (USFS), allowing NPT to construct underground transmission line through the White Mountain National Forest.
Image: The new transmission line will deliver reliable hydropower from Quebec, Canada to Deerfield, New Hampshire. Photo: courtesy of Suriya Kankliang/FreeDigitalPhotos.net.
