New transmission line carrying Canadian hydropower to New England

BOSTON – Governor Maura Healey is celebrating the completion of the New England Clean Energy Connect transmission line and says it is now delivering affordable hydropower from Quebec, Canada to Massachusetts.

This will account for twenty percent of the state’s electricity. Overall, Mass ratepayers should expect bills to be reduced by $50 million annually.

Healey said her administration worked closely with the Legislature, the Attorney General, and private partners to ensure the project moved forward and delivered savings.

In 2018, following a competitive solicitation, the Massachusetts electric distribution companies negotiated and executed contracts with the NECEC transmission line. The negotiations involved Eversource, National Grid, and Unitil.

Healey said the project represents the state’s “all-of-the-above approach in action” and called the hydropower project clean and sustainable.

“We are proud to flip the switch on this line and bring costs down, and we are continuing to work to bring more energy into Massachusetts,” Healey said. 

The state says the NECEC will increase energy reliability in the winter, and reduce harmful pollution, as New England relies on higher-priced, more carbon-intensive fuels during the colder weather which can drive volatile pricing. 

Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell said, “Today is a beacon of hope for our clean energy future at a time when many of our needed clean energy resources are under threat.”