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

PORTLAND Maine AP An ability company has received the final permit it requirements 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 megawatts of Canadian hydropower to the New England power grid Maine voters rejected the project in a referendum after opponents ran a campaign alleging it would destroy woodlands in the state A jury ruled in that developers had a constitutional right to proceed Avangrid Inc the power company behind the project received the final permit it requirements for the New England Clean Force Connect corridor on Nov Final testing of the CMP corridor is on track to be completed by mid-December revealed Jon Breed a spokesperson for Avangrid after which the system can start delivering power The company portrayed the work as a preeminence for clean vigor and the milieu We have secured every permit met every regulatory requirement and overcome important challenges because we believe we must address the urgent need for reliable vigor at a time of rising demand reported Avangrid chief executive officer Jose Antonio Miranda The -mile -kilometer transmission line stretches from Lewiston Maine to the Canadian territory line following mostly established utility corridors A new -mile -kilometer section was the crux of the fight over the project Opponents disclosed 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 potency 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 stated Seth Berry executive director of Our Power an resource nonprofit in Maine Associated Press writer Michael Casey in Boston contributed to this description Source