Benefits
Green Line will strengthen the transmission grid in New England and help provide greater access to competitively priced non-carbon emitting resources in Maine and eastern Canada. Access to these resources is essential if the New England states are going to meet their renewable portfolio standards (RPS) and Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) goals in a reliable and cost effective manner. The lack of adequate electric transmission to move energy resources south from northern New England and eastern Canada is the major barrier to their development. Green Line and its ability to move uncongested power is a significant tool in removing that barrier.
Environmentally Benign
As an underwater cable measuring less than one foot in diameter, Green Line avoids the adverse environmental impacts that would be associated with an overhead transmission line capable of transmitting the same amount of energy between Maine and Boston. These impacts include right-of-way clearing and unsightly overhead lines. Submarine DC cables, which are less vulnerable to weather-related power disruptions, are operated reliably throughout the world.
Supports Renewable Energy Development in Maine
Green Line will support the development of renewable energy resources in Maine, with an associated increase in jobs and tax base. Maine has New England’s greatest potential for renewable energy development, particularly in the areas of wind, biomass, and tidal power. In April 2008, Maine’s Governor Baldacci signed legislation (passed unanimously in the Maine House and Senate) to fast-track the development of 2,500 MW of wind energy by 2015 and 3,000 MW by 2020. Developing the full potential of these resources requires a robust and reliable transmission connection made possible by Green Line.
Cost Effective
Green Line’s underwater installation is cost effective compared with underground or overhead alternatives. On a cost-per-mile basis, underwater installation is significantly less expensive than an underground line. And while overhead transmission construction may be cheaper, it is also far more environmentally intrusive and therefore more costly, difficult, and time-consuming to obtain necessary permits.
Improves Fuel Diversity
New England needs to diversify its energy portfolio in order to reduce its growing dependence on natural gas, but this will be difficult to achieve without new transmission facilities that provide access to non-fossil fuel generating resources. Green Line not only will help meet this goal in an environmentally benign way, but also is compatible with the Central Maine Power’s Maine Power Reliability Program, which is needed to improve reliability within the state of Maine, as well as the Maine Power Connection, which will provide access to renewable energy resources in Maine’s Aroostook County.