"One of the largest clean energy projects in New England is racking up victories in court, but the project’s developer said Wednesday it won’t know until midyear when construction will resume.
Analysts say the uncertain construction schedule facing New England Clean Energy Connect, a transmission line linking hydroelectric dams in Canada to customers in the Northeast, underscores the challenge hampering clean energy development in the United States. Where cost was once the primary hurdle facing renewable developers, today’s clean energy projects are more likely to be stymied by permitting delays, clogged interconnection queues and limited transmission capacity.
The 146-mile transmission line, known as NECEC, is supplied by hydroelectric dams that have prompted concerns among environmentalists for their land-use impacts. But the project is a pillar of New England’s attempts to green its power supplies by reducing the region’s reliance on natural gas and slashing its carbon dioxide emissions."
