Avangrid's hydropower project gets final Maine permit despite losing referendum

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PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — An energy company has received the final permit it needs from Maine to build a controversial hydropower transmission line project that promises to power hundreds of thousands of homes in Massachusetts.

The project is slated to supply up to 1,200 megawatts of Canadian hydropower to the New England power grid. Maine voters rejected the project in a 2021 referendum after opponents ran a campaign alleging it would destroy woodlands in the state.

A jury ruled in 2023 that developers had a constitutional right to proceed. Avangrid Inc., the power company behind the project, received the final permit it needs for the New England Clean Energy Connect corridor on Nov. 19.

Final testing of the CMP corridor is on track to be completed by mid-December, said Jon Breed, a spokesperson for Avangrid, after which the system can start delivering power.

The company portrayed the work as a victory for clean energy and the environment.

“We have secured every permit, met every regulatory requirement, and overcome significant challenges because we believe we must address the urgent need for reliable energy at a time of rising demand,” said Avangrid chief executive officer Jose Antonio Miranda.

The 145-mile (233-kilometer) transmission line stretches from Lewiston, Maine, to the Canadian border, following mostly established utility corridors. A new 53-mile (85-kilometer) section was the crux of the fight over the project.

Opponents said the long legal fight over the corridor has left lingering resentment against Avangrid, which owns Central Maine Power, the largest utility in the state of Maine.

“Unless future energy projects bring better benefits for impacted Maine communities, such as shared ownership, we can expect to see an ever-greater backlash against elected leaders and against the industry as a whole,” said Seth Berry, executive director of Our Power, an energy nonprofit in Maine that did not take a position on the corridor.

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Associated Press writer Michael Casey in Boston contributed to this report.