The New England Clean Power Link is a proposed 1,000 MW High Voltage direct current (HVdc) underwater and underground transmission cable that will bring clean, low-cost energy from the U.S.-Canadian border to Vermont and the New England marketplace. Once completed, the project will lower costs for consumers, reduce environmental emissions, create jobs, increase tax revenues, and diversify fuel supply in New England, all while respecting Vermont's natural beauty by burying the cable.
The project has received all required permits that allow it to bury two six-inch-wide cables an estimated 150 miles, all in Vermont. Approximately 100 miles are permitted to be buried under Lake Champlain and the balance buried underground in existing rights-of-way. The line will end at a converter station to be built at a location in Ludlow, Vermont and connect into the VELCO transmission grid to serve Vermont and the broader New England market.
The $1.6 billion merchant line will be privately financed and will not use taxpayer dollars. The developers of the Clean Power Link are also developing the Champlain Hudson Power Express project.
NECPL announces participation in the US Department of Energy's Transmission Facilitation Programs Part 1 - Request for Proposals
TDI-NE's permitted, widely supported and bi-directional New England Clean Power Link ("NECPL") is proud to announce participation in the in the US Department of Energy's ("DOE") Transmission Facilitation Programs Part 1 - Request for Proposals (RFP) under the Biden Administration Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. This RFP seeks to fund eligible electric power transmission lines to facilitate the construction of infrastructure and technologies that improve and enhance the capacity, efficiency, resiliency, and reliability of the electric power transmission system while also improving and enhancing access to low cost and low carbon energy resources. NECPL meets or exceeds all the qualifying criteria required in the RFP to be an eligible electric power transmission line. The TDI-NE RFP response was filed on February 1st. TDI commends the Biden Administration and the DOE for their steadfast commitment to clean energy, a stronger grid and a better renewable future for all Americans. We are pleased to participate in this procurement.
WCAX: Scott administration lending support to Lake Champlain transmission cableIn a letter to Massachusetts regulators, Vermont officials says in the wake of the Northern Pass project's inability to get approval in New Hampshire, the New England Clean Power Link has strong support in Vermont.
View the letter here.
Concord Monitor: After Northern Pass decision, Vermont company to help Massachusetts clean energy goalsAfter the stunning vote against Northern Pass's application on Thursday, Vermont-based TDI-NE says it's ready to help Massachusetts's clean-energy goals with its fully permitted project that will be buried underground in Vermont and through Lake Champlain.
RTO Insider: New England Panelists Talk 'Trust' in Power Project Siting“[The TDI engagement process]… resulted in what we think is a robust mitigation package and a piece of transmission infrastructure that would serve the region well and also serve the environment and advance environmental objectives well.”
Vermont Business Magazine: Clean Power for Clean Water, by Julia Moore
The Clean Power Link project would bring 1,000 MW of clean, renewable hydroelectric power from northern Quebec to Massachusetts. The line would pass through Vermont via an entirely underground 154-mile transmission line. Among other benefits, this project would provide $6 million annually to fund water quality improvement projects in Vermont for the next 40 years.
RTO Insider: Canada, New England Talk Energy Infrastructure
TDI CEO Donald Jessome agreed that something special is happening between Canada and the U.S. His company is partnered with Hydro-Québec on the New England Clean Power Link, a 154-mile underwater and underground transmission line that would transmit 1,000 MW of Canadian hydropower under Lake Champlain to Vermont.
MassLive: Transmission developer TDI offers $20 million for Western Massachusetts home energy retrofits if it wins statewide clean electricity contract
TDI New England has pledged 20 years of funding, at $1 million annually, to Community Action of Franklin, Hampshire and North Quabbin Regions for deep energy retrofits to low-income homes, said Don Jessome, CEO of Transmission Developers, Inc.
Bloomberg: Canada Wants to Solve U.S. Nuclear Woes With Faraway Dams
Exporting more would require more transmission capacity in the U.S. It's partnered with three developers pushing to build power lines, including two fully permitted projects proposed by Transmission Developers Inc., a Blackstone Group LP company.
Commonwealth Magazine: Utilities on both sides of bargaining table
Donald Jessome, the CEO of TDI New England, a bidder on one of the clean energy contracts, likes his project's chances, largely because he has already obtained most of the permits he needs to begin construction.
RTO Insider: Tx Developers Pitch Mass. Clean Energy Bids
Transmission Developers Inc. partnered with Hydro-Québec on the New England Clean Power Link, which includes a submarine cable under Lake Champlain and an overland section to a proposed converter station in Ludlow, Vt., to connect to the existing Coolidge substation. It would bring 1,000 MW of hydropower, solar and wind from Canada.
Boston Globe Editorial: A Massive Project Demands Basic Transparency
The state has received 46 proposals for one of the most important pending infrastructure projects in the Commonwealth: a massive electricity transmission line to bring more renewable power into New England. Each of the plans would meet the state's requirements in slightly different ways, but generally involve routes tapping into some combination of Canadian hydroelectric dams, northern New England or Canadian wind power, and solar.
RTO Insider: ISO-NE Visits Vermont to Discuss Tx Planning
VT Gov. Scott said that TDI worked with host communities and "now enjoys significant support in our state and a clear path to construction. In my view, the Clean Power Link is a smart, common sense and very affordable solution for Massachusetts and New England. It provides economic and environmental benefits for both states, and it shows how a region can work together to accomplish energy goals."
Statement from Governor Phil Scott on Support of Using the New England Clean Power Link to Supply Massachusetts with Clean, Cost-Effective Electricity
"I strongly encourage the Massachusetts' Electric Distribution Companies to select the NECPL to supply clean, cost-effective electricity in response to the Massachusetts Clean Energy Request for Proposals (RFP). This RFP is designed to help Massachusetts achieve the mandate set by its Global Warming Solutions Act (GWSA) to reduce greenhouse gas emissions…"
Commonwealth Magazine: Hydro-Quebec partners up, seeking Mass. contract, utility giant works with 3 transmission firm
TDI New England wants to run a power line from Quebec to Ludlow, Vermont, using cables running underground and along the bottom of Lake Champlain.
Boston Globe: Power companies line up to seek a big state-managed contract for clean energy
TDI said it has all its permits and its line would be completely underground or underwater.
VT Digger: Scott touts power project seen tied to lake cleanup
"We're extremely pleased," Jessome said. "To have the governor endorse our project so publicly like that … is a real differentiator for our project." Massachusetts will look favorably upon the fact that the project's host state has given such strong support to the Clean Power Link when evaluating it against other bidders for the state's clean-energy contracts, Jessome said.
New England Clean Power Link Prepares for Construction with Geotech Investigations
TDI-NE conducted geotech investigation activities at 194 locations along the 54 mile overland portion of the Project from Benson, VT to Ludlow, VT. These pre-construction activities are important to complete the final design and refine the construction techniques.
TDI-NE Receives Construction Permit From the Vermont Agency of Transportation
TDI–NE secured a critical pre–construction permit when the Vermont Agency of Transportation ("VT AOT") approved construction of the NECPL within 46.5 miles of State owned road and railroad right of way. This permit combined with a previously executed Lease Agreement with VT AOT enables TDI-NE to construct and operate the NECPL within the State right of way for at least 49.5 years. A copy of this permit is available here.
Press Release: The New England Clean Power Link Receives Presidential Permit
TDI New England announced today the United States Department of Energy has issued a Presidential Permit for the New England Clean Power Link, a 1,000 MW buried electric transmission line that will connect New England with Eastern Canada. A Presidential Permit is required for the construction, operation and maintenance of electric facilities connecting at the international borders of the United States. Of the more than half dozen proposed transmission lines aimed at importing renewable electricity into the New England market, the New England Clean Power Link is the only project to have obtained all necessary siting permits.
Read the United States Department of Energy press release here.
TDI-NE receives authorization from ISO-NE to interconnect the New England Clean Power Link
TDI-NE secured a critical regulatory authorization today when ISO-New England approved the project's I.3.9 application. This authorization confirms that the New England Clean Power Link can reliably connect to the regional electric grid. In order to connect to the New England electric grid, all energy projects must obtain this approval from ISO-New England. A copy of the I.39 authorization is available here.
Read the Press Release