July 8, 2014
Maine

Emera, CMP agree to work together on wind power transmission projects

By Darren Fishell, BDN Staff | Bangor Daily News | July 07, 2014 | bangordailynews.com

PORTLAND, Maine – The state’s two biggest electric utilities have agreed to work together on future power transmission projects in response to a plan by the six New England governors to address the region’s power needs.

Central Maine Power Co. said in a statement Monday that it has signed a memorandum of understanding with Emera identifying projects that Maine’s two largest utility companies could develop together to improve connections to transmit power south from northern wind power developments.

The companies cited more than 2,100 megawatts of proposed wind power capacity in Northern Maine as the impetus for the project. Some of those proposed projects already have buyers committed through long-term power purchasing agreements with states in southern New England, which are using that energy from renewable sources to meet state requirements.

The New England governors, collaborating through the New England States Committee on Electricity, said in January that they want the regional electric grid operator to solicit bids for at least 1,200 megawatts and as much as 3,600 megawatts of new transmission capacity for clean energy into the regional electric grid.

The group, called NESCOE, said then it was still developing the specific method to support development of that transmission infrastructure.

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2014/07/08/emera-cmp-agree-to-work-together-on-wind-power-transmission-projects/