Transmission Lines

"Transmission Lines" by Chris Hunkeler is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0

With climate change and the damage of fossils fuels becoming more and more important to world politics, many leaders have turned their attention to alternative, renewable methods of energy. In this sector, Quebec has a lot of experience, as its natural territory makes it perfectly suited for hydroelectric power. After the Quiet Revolution, the Quebec government gradually nationalized this resource and gave Hydro-Quebec monopoly over the entirety of hydroelectric distribution. Since then, Hydro-Quebec, under the sole control of the government of Quebec, has been generating enough energy to power all of Quebec in addition to 10% of New England’s energy needs. It was this surplus of energy that prompted the State of New York to give the Quebec company a 25- year contract to supply the state with 1250 megawatts of electricity, enough to power around one million homes. This deal, Hydro-Quebec’s biggest export contract, would require the construction of a transmission line approximately 545 kilometers long from Quebec to New York City. The fact that Hydro-Quebec was chosen for this contract will go a long way to fulfill Premier Legault’s ambitious plan to make Quebec “the battery of northeastern America”. 

Though ambitious, Legault’s plan for making Quebec a leader in clean energy makes plenty of sense given how the current discussion on climate change has gained traction in the province. Climate change and clean energy continue to be major topics of discussion in Quebec and have led Premier Legault to outline plans to make Quebec a leading force in the shift from fossil fuels to clean energy. It does help that 99% of all the energy produced in the province is renewable, mostly hydropower, from hydroelectric dams. Furthermore, provincial leaders have also outlined a plan to reduce greenhouse gases by banning the sale of gas-powered cars by 2035. The Coalition Avenir Quebec Party, or CAQ government is planning on investing over $6.7 billion over a period of 5 years to begin the transition to clean energy. This plan includes goals such as: reducing greenhouse gases emission by 37.5%, having over 1.5 million electric cars on the streets, and reducing emissions caused by heating buildings by 50%, all by 2030. With such policies in mind, long-term deals like the Champlain Hudson Power Express project that is expected to generate approximately $20 billion in revenue over 25 years are good ways to increase revenue while building solid connections with international partners, in addition to increasing the use of green energy. However, while the Quebec government has happily endorsed this project, the transmission line project has not been met with the same enthusiasm in the States. 

In 2018, Quebec and Massachusetts signed a contract very similar to the current deal with New York, to build a transmission line passing through New Hampshire all the way to New England. While the line was approved in Massachusetts and New York, it was blocked in New Hampshire. The New Hampshire's Site Evaluation Committee unanimously decided to block the project after they determined that the construction would disrupt the region’s development. The committee also brought up the detrimental effect the line would have on local businesses and tourism, since New Hampshire relies on its forests and outdoors for a strong local economy. The construction of a transmission line would destroy a big section of the State’s woodland and impact its ability to attract tourists. 

On November 2nd, 2021, a referendum held in Maine led to the same result as 2018. In a 60-40 split, Maine voters decide to halt the construction of the project. This monumental decision came after the most expensive referendum in Maine’s history, with major players involved on both sides.

On one side, the transmission line was approved and supported by the Biden administration in Washington as well as the government of Maine who promoted the environmental benefits of the project.The Maine Public Utilities Commission had calculated that this project would be the equivalent of removing 700,000 cars from the road. Hydro-Quebec and its American counterpart, Central Maine Power, have invested heavily in this project, which is expected to be worth billions in USD. In both Quebec and Maine, construction for the transmission line had already begun and has become a problem for the two companies, now that the project has been halted. On the other side, many private citizens who treasured or depended on their local forests were concerned by what this transmission line and its construction would do to the landscape. They gladly endorsed the fossil fuels companies campaigning against the project.  

While the project is facing difficulties in the United States, it has also faced some criticism from Indigineous communities as well. A coalition of First Nations from Quebec, Labrador, and Maine is opposing the project, claiming that the territory on which the energy is produced is land stolen from the First Nations, to which it rightfully belongs. In Maine, First Nations are opposing the transmission line’s construction as they claim it will have a detrimental effect on the environment. This group is appealing to Prime Minister Trudeau and President Biden to stop the project. The First Nations in Quebec say that they receive nothing from this project and other exports,while Hydro-Quebec makes billions from generating power on the territory that belongs to the First Nations of Quebec.

This is just another example in addition to the ever-increasing stories of mistreatment of First Nation Peoples that have come to the attention of the media and the population, but little has been done to change anything. Indigenous people have been asking for years to be consulted when either provincial or federal governments decide on major construction works through unceded land to no avail, as the pipeline protests in British Columbia have shown as well. Guy Lalouche, a member of the Wemotaci band council, said despite Supreme Court rulings affirming Indigenous rights, his Atikamekw band and other First Nations in Quebec are victims of “economic racism,” and while successive premiers have promised to correct the situation through treaties, “it’s not true.”

This transmission line project proves that no matter what good intentions or policies governments have towards clean energy, there are still too many obstacles for any exchange of renewable energy to be efficiently done on a large scale. Even internally, this project has been opposed by First Nations people who continue to fight for their lands. Their protest of this transmission line has brought to light another way in which the Indigenous peoples have been marginalized: by being unable to have a share of the profits from energy generated on their lands. Also, the failure of this line has shown how difficult it is to build the infrastructure required without destroying part of the environment that clean energy is supposed to protect. On paper, a massive network of renewable power sounds wonderful. However, it seems that when put into application, a project this complex and ambitious cannot be brought to life.