by Alex Nuti-de Biasi, Journal-Opinion

National Grid and its partner appear to have pulled the plug on the proposed Twin States Clean Energy Link that would have carried electricity on overhauled transmission lines through Bath, Haverhill, Warren, and other Grafton County communities.

“A source familiar with the situation said National Grid and Citizens Energy were unable to line up buyers for the transmission line’s power even though the US Department of Energy had committed to purchasing a large chunk of the project’s electricity output,” reported Commonwealth Beacon. InDepthNH also reported on the development.

The 211-mile transmission project aimed to carry 1,200 MW of Canadian hydropower through the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont under the Connecticut River between Lunenberg and Dalton to an existing substation near the Comerford Dam in Monroe. It would then carry electricity through an existing overhead line transmission corridor through Bath, Haverhill, Benton, Warren and points south.

The NEK section of the project would have been new transmission lines buried underground.

Last year, National Grid pitched the project to selectboards in Haverhill, Warren and other communities in a successful effort to solicit support for federal funding.

More from the Commonwealth Beacon:

“The Biden administration made a financial commitment to the project last year along with two other two-way transmission line initiatives – one linking Nevada and Utah and the other linking New Mexico and Arizona. The awards, totaling $1.3 billion, came from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law’s transmission facilitation program.

“The federal funding represented an upfront commitment to purchase power from the projects if buyers for all of the power could not be found. Even with that support, apparently not enough buyers could be found to make the Twin States project viable.”