MAINE MONITOR • November 8, 2020
A protracted fight over the plan to wheel 1,200 megawatts of hydropower from Quebec through Maine to Massachusetts has dominated the airwaves for the last two years. But as the corridor nears construction, Maine is facing pressure to build up in-state generation capacity in order to secure its own renewable future. Ambitious goals set by the Legislature in 2019 require Maine to “decarbonize” its production and consumption of energy over three decades – not only by converting the existing fossil fuel generation that’s driving global warming to renewable sources, but by “electrifying” other greenhouse gas-producing sectors, chiefly transportation and heating. Former State Planning Director Richard Silkman estimates that to achieve complete decarbonization, Maine would have to expand renewable generation by 15,000 megawatts, and increase transmission up to five times present capacity. It won’t be easy.