Justice unblocks the stoppage of Iberdrola's interconnection 'megaproject' between the US and Canada

MADRID, 31 Ago. (EUROPA PRESS) -

Iberdrola has seen the reactivation of its 'megaproject' of networks between the United States and Canada for the supply of clean energy to Massachusetts, whose total estimated investment amounted to some 950 million dollars (about 951.5 million euros), after the Court Supreme Court of Maine has declared unconstitutional the referendum that last year paralyzed the electrical interconnection.

In this way, the group chaired by Ignacio Sánchez Galán sees how one of its major projects in the United States, the so-called New England Clean Energy Connect (NECEC), is unblocked.

In the project, which had received the green light for all authorizations at the beginning of 2021, 450 million dollars (about 450.7 million euros) had already been invested in its development.

The citizens of the State of Maine voted in a referendum last November against the construction of the project developed by Central Maine Power, a subsidiary of Avangrid, together with the Canadian HydroQuebec, a decision that the Supreme Court of Justice of Maine now declares unconstitutional.

In a statement, Avangrid considered that this unanimous decision of the Court of Justice "is a victory for the expansion of clean energy, the development of transmission and decarbonization efforts in Maine, New England and throughout the country."

The company stated that "it is time to move away from the 'status quo' of fossil fuel companies who will undoubtedly continue their fight to maintain a stranglehold on the New England energy market", warning that these companies had fought against this project "in every possible legal way, presenting challenge after challenge in a desperate effort to maintain its share of the market".

Avangrid also highlighted that this interconnection project is good for Maine, "because it generates hundreds of jobs and hundreds of millions of dollars of investment in the State at no cost to Maine" and will offer lower energy prices, helping to protect "against the wild fluctuations in price now being experienced by Maines who depend on fossil fuels."

In partnership with Hydro-Quebec, this project is expected to transport clean hydroelectric power from Quebec, significantly reducing carbon emissions in New England.

The electrical transmission 'megaline' will provide 1,200 megawatts (MW) of renewable hydroelectric power to the New England power grid in Lewiston, Maine.

All costs will be borne by Massachusetts electricity customers. Once built, the NECEC will be the largest renewable energy source in New England and will represent a fundamental energy shift away from the use of fossil fuels while providing lower energy costs in Maine and New England.

Spanning 145 miles, the line is built on land owned or managed by Central Maine Power. The project will create more than 1,600 skilled jobs during the two-and-a-half-year construction period and provide $200 million in improvements to Maine's power grid, making electricity service from Maine safer.