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Summary of the Northern Pass Transmission Project
The Northern Pass transmission project is a collaboration between Northeast Utilities (NU), which is Public Service of New Hampshire’s parent company, NSTAR, and HQ Hydro Renewable Energy (HQHRE).
The Northern Pass project would involve building 140 miles of direct-current transmission line in New Hampshire from the Canadian border to a converter terminal in the City of Franklin. There it would be converted to alternating current and sent to a substation in Deerfield, where it would connect to the New England power grid.
Transmission line structures will be located approximately 800 feet apart, although the span length would vary depending on topography and line layout. DC line structures typically range from approximately 90 to 135 feet tall.
While much of the line would follow existing transmission lines, the upper 40 miles would require new rights of way to be cut through forests and other undeveloped land, much of it privately owned, with many of the landowners and nearby residents saying that building the line would destroy the region's natural beauty, and would negatively impact both the quality of life and the economic benefits derived from tourism and agriculture.
Two routes have been identified: one is "preferred" and the other is an "alternate". The alternate route winds around the White Mountain National Forest and is approximately 53 miles long. It is 13.3 miles longer than the preferred route, and it would require new ROW (right of way). This route would cross the Appalachian Trail at a location that does not currently contain a transmission line crossing. This alternate route would also bisect the Town of Landaff **. The Town of Landaff and the Landaff Conservation Commission have opposed the Northern Pass project.
For more information and route maps, refer to the Northern Pass Info link listed in the sidebar.
** April 12, 2011: Landaff has been removed from the alternate route and is no longer under consideration for the Northern Pass project.