Any decision on reconsidering Northern Pass’s application to build a 192-mile transmission line will wait until May after the Site Evaluation Committee decided Monday to suspend its oral denial of the project.
Eversource made its case on Wednesday, and had support of the Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce.
Northern Pass, if built, would be a giant extension cord. Its purpose is to deliver 1090 megawatts of hydroelectric power generated in faraway parts of Quebec to consumers in Massachusetts.
“Clearly, the SEC process is broken and this decision sends a chilling message to any energy project contemplating development in the Granite State,” said Nothern Pass spokesman Martin Murray, following the vote.
The seven Site Evaluation Committee members said Thursday they do not believe Northern Pass developers have met their burden of proof that the project would not negatively impact the orderly development of the region, one of four criteria that must be met for approval.
Of the 46 proposals the committee is considering, two would use the $1.6 billion, 192-mile Northern Pass transmission project stretching from Pittsburg to Deerfield, currently under consideration by New Hampshire Site Evaluation Committee. The committee begins deliberations on the project Jan. 30.
So, even though the grid didn’t fail when the temperatures went negative, that sensation from watching electricity markets – the one that falls somewhere between curiosity and panic – well, it’s still there. This is no time to roll over and go back to bed.
State regulators wanted to know why an agreement outlining procedures to resolve mitigation issues for the Northern Pass Transmission project’s effect on historic and archeological sites had not been made available until Thursday.
The health effects of electromagnetic fields generated from high voltage electric transmission lines have been debated for decades and on Tuesday experts hired by Northern Pass said the fields generated by the project will not adversely affect public health and safety.
The power purchase agreement, which was filed Tuesday with the New Hampshire Public Utilities Commission, is a 20-year contract that supports New Hampshire’s Ten Year Energy Strategy and its Climate Action Plan, as well as other regional carbon reduction goals.