Avangrid commissions $1.65bn US-Canada hydropower HVDC line
Pamela Largue
Posted on: 19 January 2026
The 233km project delivers 1.2GW of hydropower from Quebec to reinforce security of supply and reduce energy costs in New England.
The New England Clean Energy Connect (NECEC) transmission network, connecting the US and Canada, has been commissioned.
The project, which was started in 2018 by Iberdrola’s US subsidiary Avangrid, has been completed after obtaining all federal and state permits and authorisations
NECEC will transmit Canadian hydropower to the New England electrical grid, connecting in Lewiston Maine, one of the strongest connection points in the power system.
The project includes 87km of new transmission lines, the upgrading of 147km of existing transmission lines, the construction of a new converter station, a new substation, and multiple system upgrades.
According to Avangrid, NECEC has already started carrying hydroelectric power from Quebec via the 233km HVDC line, which has a capacity of 1,200MW.
The HVDC converter system allows transmission over long distances and connects networks that operate asynchronously.
The new HVDC line will be constructed with 829 self-weathering steel structures, comprised of 723 monopole structures and 106 two-pole structures. The average height of the poles is 28,8 metre above ground.
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Two STATCOMs, power electronic devices that maintain voltage and improve supply quality, with a capacity of 300MVAR, have been installed at the Buxton substation in Maine. This will help maintain grid stability during periods of high demand.
The project will deliver several benefits, including lower energy prices, removing 3.0 – 3.6 million metric tonnes of carbon from the air each year, as well as promoting the electrification of New England.
The NECEC will supply clean energy to 1.2 million New England households, allowing customers to benefit from stable prices for the next 20 years, avoiding price rises during peak demand in summer and winter.
Avangrid states that NECEC will ultimately reduce customer spending on electricity by $3,900 million over the next 20 years.
Customers in Massachusetts can look forward to an annual saving of $150 million, and those in Maine, $40 million.
The $1.65 billion transmission line has confirmed, regulated and stable 40-year contracts with Massachusetts distributors and Hydro-Québec, states Avangrid.
