The Department of Energy today announced the issuance of a Record of Decision and Presidential Permit for the New England Clean Power Link Transmission Line. The 154-mile underground and underwater direct current transmission line will bring up to 1000 megawatts of hydropower from Quebec, Canada to southern Vermont.

The project has the potential to provide enough reliable, affordable and carbon-free electricity to serve approximately 1 million residential customers in New England.

Transmission lines such as New England Clean Power Link address infrastructure challenges outlined in the 2015 Quadrennial Energy Review (QER), which focused on energy transmission, storage and distribution infrastructure. The QER acknowledged the importance of establishing transmission lines to facilitate development of remote generation, and found that new long-distance transmission capacity like New England Clean Power Link have the potential to enable lower-emissions electricity, enhance system reliability and operate at a reasonable cost to consumers.

New England Clean Power Link is an example of the collaborative principles detailed in the new Integrated Interagency Pre-Application Process (IIP), a recently finalized rulemaking process that streamlines permitting and siting by encouraging early engagement with local, state and tribal communities on electric grid transmission projects. As a result, the New England Clean Power Link’s review was completed in 2.5 years. Large-scale infrastructure projects often take longer to complete.

For more information about the New England Clean Power Link, including the Final Environmental Impact Statement, Record of Decision, and more, visit Energy.gov.