Central Maine Power (CMP), a subsidiary of AVANGRID, has submitted the Maine Clean Power Connection (MCPC) in response to the request for proposals for clean energy and transmission issued in November 2015 by state agencies and utilities in Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island.
According to CMP, the MCPC will provide a pathway for electricity from several generation wind projects currently under development to reach the southern New England states.
Specifically, the MCPC proposal would expand Maine’s bulk power transmission system to gather and transmit up to 550 MW of wind power. The project includes a new 345 kV substation near Johnson Mountain Township and a new 66-mile transmission line connected to the company’s existing grid in Pittsfield, Maine. Construction of the MCPC would be paid for by utility customers in the states that issued the RFP.
“Central Maine Power is excited to offer this cost-effective solution to meet New England’s need for clean, renewable energy,” says CMP President and CEO Sara Burns. “By building on our existing system and using existing corridors in many cases, the MCPC can bring maximum benefit to Maine and New England with minimal impact to the environment.”
CMP isn’t the only company to submit a project for the New England RFP: For example, Invenergy, Hydro-Quebec, Anbaric and National Grid have also teamed up to propose “The Wind and Hydro Response,” which would transmit wind energy and hydropower over the proposed Vermont Green Line transmission project.
