Maine DEP tells CMP its application for 145-mile power line is incomplete

Photo / New England Clean Energy Connect The 145-mile transmission line proposed by Central Maine Power for its $950 million New England Clean Energy Connect follows what CMP describes as a "carefully planned route: that takes advantage of existing corridors along 73% of the proposed route.

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Central Maine Power Co.’s $950 million New England Clean Energy Connect transmission line project through western Maine has hit another speed bump. This time it’s the Maine Department of Environmental Protection telling CMP it cannot move forward with its evaluation of the project until the utility provides additional information to complete its application.

The DEP’s action comes less than a week after the Maine Public Utilities Commission’s Nov. 2 order stating that its review of the project would be extended into next year in order to give intervenors and other stakeholder more time to evaluate thousands of pages of documents CMP provided shortly before three hearings scheduled for the week of Oct. 29.

PUC issued its procedural order after suspending those hearings, and has outlined a revised schedule for testimony, technical conferences and hearings related to CMP's proposed 145-mile transmission to deliver hydro-power from Canada to serve customers in Massachusetts.

The Waterville Sentinel reported that CMP spokeswoman Catharine Hartnett said the DEP’s request for additional information was routine and that the company intends to submit to DEP by Nov. 19 a timeline for submitting the requested information.

“This is all a very standard regulatory process,” she told the newspaper. “That’s what we’re engaged in and that’s what we will do.”