Avangrid touts that their 145-mile swath of new Central Maine Power transmission line will financially benefit landowners in the townships it passes through for years to come, even going so far as saying it will drive down electrical costs for CMP users in Maine.
That is bah and humbug. Every single kilowatt converted from DC to AC at their proposed Lewiston conversion facility will go out of state.
The Grinch strikes again. The Maine Public Utility Commission announces that, effective Jan. 1, bills for CMP users will increase between 9 and 14 percent. Certainly makes Avangrid’s statement about lower costs in the future for CMP customers as nothing but fake news, and any financial benefits to landowners more hyperbole, as well.
So, Massachusetts needs more electricity. My daughter owns a modest home along the Deerfield River in the Berkshires. Her electric bill in summer months averages $250; in winter, $500-plus. A sub-station of the hydroplant several miles down river exists nearby and there are similar plants and sub-stations with transmission lines along other rivers in that state.
If Avangrid gets permission from Maine PUC to build its billion dollar 145-mile line, it is anticipated that electric bills in my daughter’s area will double. Common sense tells me those bills could be reduced significantly simply by the Massachusetts utility regulators requiring installation of additional hydroturbines in their waters and avoid even higher charges importing power from HydroQuebec.
It also tells me members of Maine PUC should deny Avangrid’s application, just as New Hampshire’s commissioners did.
John Davis, South Paris
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