Massachusetts Passes Up Northern Pass

 

BOSTON (AP) — Massachusetts has dropped a $1.6 billion project that was set to deliver hydropower from Canada through a 192-mile transmission line in New Hampshire.

The decision to terminate the earlier selection of the Northern Pass project from Eversource was announced Wednesday by the Massachusetts Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs. The state will instead move toward an agreement with New England Clean Energy Connect, a hydropower project proposed by Central Maine Power Co.

New Hampshire regulators voted to reject Northern Pass last month over concerns about potential negative impacts on the environment and tourism.

Eversource asked for reconsideration, but the Site Evaluation Committee said it would not do so until May. That’s well past the deadline set by Massachusetts for moving forward with a large-scale clean energy project mandated under a 2016 law.