N.E. Clean Power Connect in Maine - Should we care ?

[peakbagger]

Kind of depressing when they drag an old CEO out of retirement to try to get some credibility back. He is looking out of his element these days when he does press interviews.

My guess is Avangrid will figure out a way split the transmission side out from the consumer side and spin it off.

 

[Breeze]

It is kind of interesting that CMP's spokewoman, Cate Hartnett, is no stranger to Berlin/Gorham NH. She was a stage driver for a couple years at MWAR, she and her SO retro-fitted their home in Berlin to get out from under PSNH ( now Eversource). Many people are much more than they seem to be.

 

[peakbagger]

Many folks are not opposed or support "clean power" as long as its not in their backyard. This is why several Mass based environmental groups support bringing in power that is questionably green from Canada. The other aspect is the Golden Rule, he/she who has the gold makes the rules . The sad part is the vast majority of the long term profits of CPC go out of the country using right of ways that were purchased long ago by ratepayers in Maine.

With the renewed focus on decarbonizatioon, there is a lucrative industry to turn fossil based power into "green" power on paper by taking advantage of loopholes. In this case CPC is effectively just rebranding canadian natural gas power into hydro. Electrons cant be dyed green, its all just complex paperwork to keep track of what sources were used to supply them. Probably a good use for block chain.

 

[peakbagger]

Looks like there are plenty of signatures for the second referendum

https://wgme.com/news/local/anti-cm...ugh-signatures-to-make-maines-november-ballot

CMP took the last vote to court twice and eventually got the Maine Supreme Court to invalidate the results so I expect the legal docket will fill up again. Meanwhile CMP will throw the maximum amount of resources at the sections of the line they can build to make it harder to shut the project down.

 

[maineguy]

Looks like there are plenty of signatures for the second referendum

https://wgme.com/news/local/anti-cm...ugh-signatures-to-make-maines-november-ballot

CMP took the last vote to court twice and eventually got the Maine Supreme Court to invalidate the results so I expect the legal docket will fill up again. Meanwhile CMP will throw the maximum amount of resources at the sections of the line they can build to make it harder to shut the project down.

I always scratch my head when I see the amount of invalid signatures on a petition. In this case approx 15%!

 

[peakbagger]

Another day another court ruling, this time against the project

https://www.pressherald.com/2021/03...-hurdle-to-cmp-transmission-corridor-project/

This one could be significant as there has been already been one citizens referendum against the project that passed with another one lined up. It took a long time for the public to get interested in the project but when it did its against the project especially in the three counties in southern Maine that call a lot of the shots in the state. There have been attempts to weaken the intent of the Maine Bureau of Public lands several times in the past most recently during the prior administration and they have been unsuccessful in the past. This no doubt will get appealed to the Maine Supreme Court. Meanwhile the project is actively building sections of the line. Maybe the new lines they build can be repurposed to allow instate solar farms to connect with the grid

 

[peakbagger]

Yet another lawsuit

https://www.pressherald.com/2021/03/29/maine-power-line-foes-sue-federal-energy-department/

I wonder when HQ calls up the already permitted project in VT?

 

[TCD]

They are late to the party, but national media (Fox) appears to be joining the opposition to this power transmission project:

https://www.foxnews.com/media/us-la...inals-exposes-green-energy-scam-maine-corrupt

 

[JoshandBaron]

They are late to the party, but national media (Fox) appears to be joining the opposition to this power transmission project:

https://www.foxnews.com/media/us-la...inals-exposes-green-energy-scam-maine-corrupt

Coincidence that Carlson lives 20 miles from the proposed route?

 

[peakbagger]

Some background on the Fox News streaming report (which I have not viewed and do not plan to)

https://bangordailynews.com/2021/04...n-hammers-cmp-corridor-in-new-streaming-show/

It does line up with the observation that politics make strange bedfellows.

 

[Breeze]

Carlson doesn't live in Maine. He does own property, but Bryant Pond ( AKA Lake Christopher for the water body and Woodstock for the town ) is certainly a good bit farther away from Lewiston-Auburn than 20 miles. Even as the crow flies.

 

[JoshandBaron]

Carlson doesn't live in Maine. He does own property, but Bryant Pond ( AKA Lake Christopher for the water body and Woodstock for the town ) is certainly a good bit farther away from Lewiston-Auburn than 20 miles. Even as the crow flies.

He broadcasts from there for several months of the year and Bryant Pond is 23 miles from the route through Livermore Falls.

 

[Mac]

I always liked this proposal

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova...s-energy-northern-pass-transmission-1.4504425.

No muss, no fuss. Directly from source to Massachussets, no Maine woods, no White Mountains, etc.

 

[peakbagger]

There was a variation where the line would go onshore in Wiscasset Maine and tie into the grid infrastructure left over from the former Nuclear Power Station.

Then again if Maine of Mass can get going with offshore wind, the lines just come on shore from the wind turbines and them put in a bank of these for storage.

https://energyvault.com/commercial-demonstration-unit/

 

[maineguy]

Everyone likes wind turbines, except for those that have to live or work near them.

https://www.mdislander.com/maine-ne...se-offshore-wind-as-alternative-energy-option

 

[JoshandBaron]

There was a variation where the line would go onshore in Wiscasset Maine and tie into the grid infrastructure left over from the former Nuclear Power Station.

Then again if Maine of Mass can get going with offshore wind, the lines just come on shore from the wind turbines and them put in a bank of these for storage.

https://energyvault.com/commercial-demonstration-unit/

Vineyard Wind was approved yesterday.

https://www.boston.com/news/local-n...e-wind-project-near-marthas-vineyard-approved

 

[peakbagger]

https://bangordailynews.com/2021/05...corridor-stretch-after-federal-judges-ruling/

The court cases are not over but no doubt there will be cleared strip very soon from the border to the existing CMP corridor. Still to be decided is if the lines can cross the Kennebec over state land.

 

[peakbagger]

Well they got two weeks of clearing and then need to shut down for a bat https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/tiny-bats-put-kibosh-power-line-tree-cutting-77759181

 

[TCD]

I wonder if, in China, they shut down energy projects for a bat.

 

[egilbe]

I wonder if, in China, they shut down energy projects for a bat.

nope, they sell them in the market for food