Quebec – New England Transmission

450kV HVDC line (at right), on south side of Autoroute 20 east of the Nicolet station near Sainte-Eulalie, Quebec.

The Quebec – New England Transmission (officially known in Quebec as the Réseau multiterminal à courant continu (RMCC)[1] and also known as Phase I / Phase II[2] and the Radisson - Nicolet - Des Cantons circuit[3]) is a long-distance high-voltage direct current (HVDC) line between Radisson, Quebec and Sandy Pond in Ayer, Massachusetts. As of 2012, it remains one of only two Multi-terminal HVDC systems in the world (the other one being the Sardinia–Corsica–Italy system, completed in the same year) and is the only HVDC system equipped with more than three converter stations.

History

Initially, the Quebec – New England Transmission consisted of the 172 km (107 mi) section between the Des Cantons station near Windsor, Quebec and the Frank D. Comerford Dam near Monroe, New Hampshire which, because of the asynchronous operation of the American and Québec power grids, had to be implemented as HVDC. This bipolar electricity transmission line is overhead for its whole length except the crossing of Saint Lawrence river, went into service in 1986. It could transfer a maximum power of 690 megawatts. The operating voltage was ±450kV[4] or 900 kV from line to line.

The line was planned to extend beyond the two terminals at Des Cantons and Comerford to the hydroelectric power plants of the La Grande Complex, in the James Bay region of Québec, and to the high consumption area around Boston, Massachusetts — specifically, by 1,100 kilometers to the north toward the converter station at Radisson Substation, and to the south to the converter station at Sandy Pond in Massachusetts. The transmission power was increased by extending the existing converter stations to 2,000 megawatts, with the value of the transmission voltage remaining unchanged at ±450 kV. For the connection of the Montreal area, a further converter station at Nicolet was put into service in 1992 with a transmission capacity of 2,000 megawatts.

The line crosses the Saint Lawrence River between Grondines and Lotbinière via an underground tunnel.[5] Until the tunnel was built, the line crossed the river via an overhead lattice tower electricity pylon—portions of one of these towers would later be used as part of the observation tower at La Cité de l'Énergie in Shawinigan.

Future expansion

In December 2008, Hydro-Québec, along with American utilities Northeast Utilities (parent company of Public Service of New Hampshire) and NSTAR (parent company of Boston Edison), created a joint venture to build a new HVDC line from Windsor, Quebec to Deerfield, New Hampshire, with an HVDC converter terminal built in Franklin, New Hampshire.[6] Hydro-Québec will own the segment within Quebec, while the segment within the US will be owned by Northern Pass Transmission LLC, a partnership between Northeast Utilities (75%) and NSTAR (25%).[7] Estimated to cost US$1.1 billion to build,[8] it is projected that the line will either run in existing right-of-way adjacent to the HVDC line that runs through New Hampshire, or it will connect to a right-of-way in northern New Hampshire that will run through the White Mountains. This 180-to-190-mile (290 to 310 km) line, projected to carry 1,200 megawatts, will bring electricity to approximately one million homes.[9]

In order to go ahead, the project must receive regulatory approval in Quebec and the United States. The proposed transmission line could be in operation in 2015.[10] According to Jim Robb, a senior executive from Northeast Utilities, New England could meet one third of its Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative commitments with the hydropower coming through this new power line alone.[11]

The purchase of power from Hydro-Québec was an issue during the Massachusetts gubernatorial election of 2010.[12]

In October 2010, Northeast Utilities announced that it would merge with NSTAR, with the resulting company retaining the Northeast Utilities name. The deal is subject to regulatory approval.[13] In effect, Northern Pass Transmission would become a wholly owned subsidiary of Northeast Utilities.

Sites

Important waypoints of the line.

Radisson to Nicolet

Site Coordinates
Radisson, Quebec, Canada 53°43′33″N 77°44′17″W / 53.72583°N 77.73806°W
Radisson Grounding Electrode ( not at main line) 53°29′18″N 77°47′35″W / 53.48833°N 77.79306°W
Saint-Maurice River,
south of La Tuque, Quebec		 47°20′52″N 72°47′57″W / 47.34778°N 72.79917°W
Northern Cable Terminal of Saint Lawrence River Crossing,
Grondines, Quebec, Canada 		46°37′32″N 72°00′51″W / 46.62556°N 72.01417°W
Southern Cable Terminal of Saint Lawrence River Crossing,
Lotbinière, Quebec, Canada 		46°35′36″N 71°58′19″W / 46.59333°N 71.97194°W

Nicolet to Des Cantons

Site Coordinates
Nicolet station,
Sainte-Eulalie, Quebec, Canada 		46°04′47″N 72°14′58″W / 46.07972°N 72.24944°W
Des Cantons station,
Windsor, Quebec, Canada 		45°33′44″N 71°57′01″W / 45.56222°N 71.95028°W
Des Cantons Grounding Electrode
Windsor, Quebec, Canada 		45°36′29″N 71°51′06″W / 45.60806°N 71.85167°W

Des Cantons to Comerford

Site Coordinates
Des Cantons station,
Windsor, Quebec, Canada 		45°33′44″N 71°57′01″W / 45.56222°N 71.95028°W
Des Cantons Grounding Electrode
Windsor, Quebec, Canada 		45°36′29″N 71°51′06″W / 45.60806°N 71.85167°W
Border crossing between USA and Canada
(east of Stanhope, Quebec and Norton, Vermont) 		45°00′40″N 71°44′12″W / 45.01111°N 71.73667°W
Moore Dam / Connecticut River,
Waterford, Vermont / Littleton, New Hampshire, USA

Comerford to Ayer

Site Coordinates
Frank D. Comerford Dam / Comerford converter station,
Monroe, New Hampshire, USA 		44°19′9″N 71°59′35″W / 44.31917°N 71.99306°W
Merrimack River,
East Merrimack/Litchfield, New Hampshire, USA
New Hampshire / Massachusetts state line
Hudson, New Hampshire / Tyngsborough, Massachusetts, USA
Ayer, Massachusetts, USA 42°34′13″N 71°31′27″W / 42.57028°N 71.52417°W

Des Cantons to Deerfield

Route listed here reflects the primary route, and is currently projected.[14]

Site Coordinates
Des Cantons station,
Windsor, Quebec, Canada 		45°33′44″N 71°57′01″W / 45.56222°N 71.95028°W
Des Cantons Grounding Electrode
Windsor, Quebec, Canada 		45°36′29″N 71°51′06″W / 45.60806°N 71.85167°W
Border crossing between USA and Canada / Connecticut River
(west of Pittsburg, New Hampshire)
Northumberland, New Hampshire, USA
Whitefield, New Hampshire, USA
North Woodstock, New Hampshire, USA
Beebe River, New Hampshire, USA
Ashland, New Hampshire, USA
Pemigewasset River, New Hampshire, USA
Southern HVDC Converter Terminal,
Franklin, New Hampshire, USA
Oak Hill, New Hampshire, USA
Deerfield, New Hampshire, USA

Grounding electrodes

Quebec – New England Transmission has two grounding electrodes: one at Des Cantons at 45°36′29″N 71°51′06″W / 45.60806°N 71.85167°W and the other near Radisson substation approximately at 53°29′18″N 77°47′35″W / 53.48833°N 77.79306°W.

Opposition

2004 Hydro tower bombing

In 2004, shortly before U.S. President George W. Bush's visit to Canada, a tower along the Quebec – New England Transmission circuit in the Eastern Townships near the Canada-U.S. border was damaged by explosive charges detonated at its base. The CBC reported that a message, purportedly from the Résistance internationaliste and issued to the La Presse and Le Journal de Montréal newspapers and CKAC radio, stated that the attack had been carried out to "denounce the 'pillaging' of Quebec's resources by the United States."[3][15]

Northern Pass

There are several groups opposing the expansion especially in New Hampshire. Some want the line buried because of the tree loss and the negative impact on tourism from tree loss and the large towers,[16] while others oppose it altogether. Other reasons it is opposed include that line could reduce the value of adjacent private property, the energy comes from another country, and that the energy is not needed, especially in NH where most of the line will pass.[17]

See also

References

  1. ↑
  2. ↑
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Green Anarchy". Web.archive.org. Retrieved 26 October 2014.
  4. ↑ "Voltage". Retrieved 2009-11-11.
  5. ↑ "Crossings". Hydro-Québec. Archived from the original on 2008-01-13. Retrieved 2008-02-15..
  6. ↑ Northern Pass Transmission (2010). "Route Information". Northern Pass Transmission LLC. Retrieved 2010-10-13.
  7. ↑ Alspach, Kyle (2010-10-05). "NStar to build hydro power line". Boston Business Journal. Retrieved 2010-10-12.
  8. ↑ Dillon, John (2010-10-08). "New Transmission Line Reaches Milestone". Vermont Public Radio. Retrieved 2010-10-12.
  9. ↑ Porter, Louis (19 December 2008). "Utilities plan for N.E. expansion". Rutland Herald. Retrieved 2009-05-09.
  10. ↑ Constant, Kenny (2010-10-13). "Energy project unveiled; impact called 'staggering'". The Citizen of Laconia (Laconia, NH). Retrieved 2010-10-13.
  11. ↑ Penty, Rebecca (2009-11-14). "U.S. calls power line a landmark investment". Telegraph-Journal (Saint John, NB). p. C1. Retrieved 2009-11-14.
  12. ↑ Daley, Beth (2010-10-23). "Canadian firm offers N.E. more hydropower". Boston Globe. Retrieved 2010-10-24.
  13. ↑ Ailworth, Erin (2010-10-18). "NStar and Northeast Utilities agree to merger". Boston Globe. Retrieved 2010-10-18.
  14. ↑ "Northern Pass: Project Route Map, as of October 14, 2010.". Northernpass.us. Retrieved 26 October 2014.
  15. ↑
  16. ↑ "Bury the Northern Pass". Bury the Northern Pass. Retrieved 11 July 2014.
  17. ↑ "Stop the Towers". Live Free or Fry. Retrieved 11 July 2014.

External links