Spotlight | A Herculean task
Stephen O Simmons from Kiawah Consulting Group, gives his views on what he calls, the confused state of energy development in the US
THE US HAS BEEN a leader in the development of major energy projects, including natural gas fired, nuclear, and hydroelectric generation (mostly in a time gone by), along with pumped storage (in more recent times). And now there’s renewables, including solar and wind, which contribute energy but are short on firm capacity, unless matched by energy storage like pumped storage. Looking to the future, this should be the least complicated, most durable and large-scale storage option. Going forward in the US from where we are today,
Above: Stephen O Simmons
Below: Development of new transmission lines to transport hydropower have been complicated by a multitude of regulations at the local, state, and federal levels
to where we might be tomorrow, is a path that is complicated by the diversity of energy policies, regulations and subsidies that extend through a network of 50 states and the federal government. Each level of government, with their diverse approaches to energy development and what two dozen states say is mandated transition to carbon free clean energy, where depending on the state, the transition advances along different timelines. The states’ own policies are complicated by a multitude of regulations at the local, state, and federal levels, not to mention the existing utilities themselves that have competing views of the way forward. One of the more torturous examples, is the saga of a transmission intertie running from Hydro-
Quebec projects in Quebec Province, Canada, to Massachusetts through Maine. In the State of Maine, the New England Clean Energy Connect project was finally back under construction in late summer 2024 after years of challenges dating back to 2018. The project aims to bring “green energy”, that is 1200MW of carbon free hydropower energy, to the northeast US, specifically Massachusetts. The interconnect was first slated to run through New Hampshire, part of it underground to preserve scenic natural vistas, but was rejected by state regulators. In the State of Maine, Central Maine Power assumed the project, which paralleled an existing transmission line, but after construction began, a state-wide referendum passed (60-40) to stop the project which sent it into the courtrooms. One reason residents of Maine were against the line was because it was to the benefit of the residents of Massachusetts, a state that wanted to bolster its use of carbon free energy.
One against another That speaks directly to the confused state of carbon
free energy development in the US. One state pitted against another state, even though it helped to displace fossil energy with carbon free hydroelectric power. Think of it, in short, Hydro Quebec has
10 | December 2024 |
www.waterpowermagazine.com
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