Undersea power cable may connect Maine to Boston

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Some of the parties involved with undersea power transmission projects connecting New Jersey to New York are also looking into building a line to carry power from Maine to Boston.

New England Independent Transmission Co LLC, headed by Ed Krapels and Ed Stern, is proposing to build the 140-mile underwater "Green Line" cable, so called since it would transport renewable wind and wave power under development in Maine to the greater Boston area.

Power prices in Boston are higher than most other parts of New England, in part because the transmission system connecting the metropolitan region to the rest of the power grid is constrained, limiting the amount of power the city can import.

That requires the metro area to generate more of its electricity locally, which costs more since the generation available in the Boston area is more expensive to operate.

Moreover, as Boston continues to grow and consumes more power, the Green Line could help alleviate possible future generation shortfalls while opening an export market for the renewable generation under development in Maine, said Chris Hocker, a spokesman for the project.

The cable, which is in the very early stages of development, could carry up to 660 megawatts of electricity, enough to power more than 600,000 homes. After the development and permitting process, the line would take about two years to build and could enter service in 2013.

Hocker said it was too soon to say how much the Green Line project would cost.

NEPTUNE AND HUDSON

Krapels and Stern are also participating in two undersea transmission lines linking New Jersey and New York - Neptune and Hudson.

Stern is chief executive of the Neptune and Hudson projects, while Krapels is chairing the Green Line project.

Neptune Regional Transmission System LLC is constructing a $600 million, 65-mile high voltage direct current (HVDC) cable from central New Jersey to Long Island, New York. The line will be capable of carrying 660 MW.

The Long Island Power Authority in 2004 picked the Neptune project as part of a request for proposals for new sources of power for Long Island

The Neptune project, which spokesman Hocker said is on schedule, will likely enter service in July 2007.

Hudson Transmission Partners LLC is developing an eight-mile HVDC cable, also capable of carrying 660 MW, from northern New Jersey to New York City.

The New York Power Authority in 2006 selected the Hudson project as part of a request for proposals for new sources of power for New York.

While Hocker could not estimate the cost of the Hudson project, others have said it could cost about as much as the Neptune project since the cost of labor and materials have increased over the past few years.

The developers expect to complete the Hudson cable in 2010.