New England hydropower project can resume years after Maine voters protested

The Maine Department of Environmental Protection is lifting its suspension of construction of the controversial 145-mile transmission project known as the New England Clean Energy Connect.

DEP Commissioner Melanie Loyzim on Tuesday notified developers of the NECEC that construction of the corridor may resume under certain conditions, although it's not clear when that will happen.

The corridor, a project of Central Maine Power's parent company Avangrid, has been on hold since 2021 when voters opted to scuttle it, thus leading the DEP to issue a suspension order.

But Avangrid challenged the legality of the referendum and last month a jury found that developers had established the legal right to finish a transmission line that will deliver hydropower from Quebec to the regional grid.

Developers have not said when they'll be able to resume construction, which will require reassembling work crews that were scattered after the suspension order in 2021. They are also required to notify the the state Department of Environmental Protection at least five days before restarting operations.

While opponents of the project have said they won't appeal the jury trial decision, a spokesperson for the Natural Resources Council of Maine said it would continue challenging federal permits issued by the Army Corps of Engineers and Department of Energy.

According to the Associated Press, the project is designed to supply up to 1,200 megawatts of Canadian hydropower to the New England power grid — enough to power about a million homes.

This story is a production of the New England News Collaborative. It was originally published by Maine Public.

The story includes reporting contributions from The Associated Press.