New Hampshire Says No to Northern Pass
The Northern Pass is a proposed clean energy project that plans to bring hydroelectric power from Canada into New England. Through 192 miles of overhead powerlines and underground lines, the energy is planned to be brought through the White Mountain National Forest, reservation land, and into central New Hampshire to be converted to direct and indirect power. These two sources of power will then be brought to Southern New Hampshire, and further distributed into Massachusetts and the rest of New England. The overwhelming majority of citizens affected by the proposed route of the Northern Pass oppose the project. Much of the 1,090 megawatts (MW) of power will be disbursed to Southern New England, but not New Hampshire, where the burden of the project lies. North Country in New Hampshire firmly believes that the Northern Pass should not be passed as New Hampshire will suffer major consequences from the project. The Northern Pass will ruin the untouched White Mountains, be detrimental to the state’s tourism industry, and will hurt both local businesses and resident’s home value. In order for the Northern Pass to be stopped, New Hampshire has to take a stand against this disastrous project.
Route of the Northern Pass
The proposed Northern Pass route is slated to have overhead power lines and underground lines through 192 miles of New Hampshire. With power coming from a Hydroelectric plant in Quebec, the clean energy will be brought into New England through New Hampshire. The proposed plan includes overhead wires spanning from the Canadian border in Pittsburg, New Hampshire to Clarksville where they will be put underground for a short distance until Stewartstown. From Stewartstown to Bethlehem there will be overhead wires, built on new ground, not previously existing powerlines. In Bethlehem, the northern most town of Franconia Notch, the wires will be place underground through Plymouth. From Plymouth to Franklin, the power will be brought in overhead lines, adjacent to already existing powerlines, meaning that the project will need to build more towers next to the towers that already carry electricity in the state.
Franklin, New Hampshire will be the site of an electric converter station. Across the 158 miles of line from Canada to Franklin, the electrical current is a direct current (DC). At this converter station, the current will be converted to an alternating current (AC). From Franklin these AC lines will run from Franklin to the Deerfield substation in overhead powerlines (Northern Pass LFDA). The AC lines between Franklin and Deerfield will be 34 miles long, and run along much of preexisting towers, while some will be moved to better suit the electrical travel. The Deerfield substation is one of the current centers for New England power (Honigberg). This substation is currently has aging equipment and will be revamped through the Northern Pass budget. This substation sends much of its currents into Massachusetts and parts of New Hampshire.
By James Petz
Honigberg, Michael P. “Petition to Commence Business as a Public Utility.” STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION, 14 Oct. 2016.
“Northern Pass LFDA” Live Free or Die Alliance. Edited by LFDA Editors, Live Free or Die Alliance, Citizens Count NH, www.lfda.org/issues/northern-pass.