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Mass. officials flip on New England Clean Energy Connect; state officials say 1,200 MW from Quebec now flowing
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Summary
At a State House ceremony, Massachusetts officials announced the New England Clean Energy Connect transmission line is "now on," delivering roughly 1,200 megawatts from Quebec that officials said will supply about 20% of the state's electricity, lower rates and reduce emissions; litigation over the project was noted as ongoing.
At a ceremony in the State House, Massachusetts officials announced that the New England Clean Energy Connect transmission line is "now on," bringing hydroelectric power from Quebec into the state and, officials said, immediately adding about 1,200 megawatts to the regional grid.
The governor (name not specified in the transcript) said the power "is providing right now 20% of our electricity supply in Massachusetts" and that the project will lower costs for ratepayers, estimating $50,000,000 in annual savings and $3,000,000,000 over 20 years. "This is power that's gonna provide, that will provide, that is providing right now 20% of our electricity supply in Massachusetts," the governor said.
Rebecca Tepper, secretary of energy and environmental affairs, said the line illustrates why transmission is needed to unlock northern resources and described coordination with ISO New England on a "first-of-a-kind" transmission procurement to support offshore wind and interregional transmission. "We're coordinating with ISO New England on a first of a kind transmission procurement," Tepper said, linking the activation to longer-term procurement and interregional planning.
Serge Abergel of Hydro Quebec framed the activation as an emissions-reduction milestone, saying "the equivalent emissions of 700,000 cars will be avoided every year for the next 20 years." Abergel also thanked roughly 2,000 workers who built the line over about five years.
Officials at the event credited a multiyear, multistate effort involving Massachusetts and Quebec, private partners including Avangrid, state energy staff and legislative leaders. The governor thanked Speaker Mariano, Senate President Spilka, Representative Jeff Roy, Chair Mark Cusack and Senator Mike Barrett for legislative support and singled out the attorney general's office and state regulators for their roles.
The governor also acknowledged that litigation has been filed over aspects of the project and said he hopes those legal challenges are resolved in a way that allows construction and deliveries to continue. He repeatedly framed the activation as part of an "all-of-the-above" energy strategy that includes additional solar, wind, storage and transmission work to lower costs and support economic development.
Officials said they will continue procurement work and interregional coordination; after the remarks, the group conducted a ceremonial "flip the switch" and took on-topic questions from reporters.
The announcement did not include new legislation or a vote at the event; officials pointed to existing procurement steps, ongoing legal proceedings and planned regulatory coordination as next steps.
