Maine citizens defeated Hydro-Quebec yesterday by voting to block an electricity corridor on their territory that would have allowed the crown corporation to export $ 10 billion in electricity to New England during 20 years.
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Tuesday evening, around midnight, the camp in favor of the ban on the construction of high voltage lines in the territory of Maine led with 60% against 40% for the non camp, with 73% of the votes counted. The referendum which included three questions, of which this one was held Tuesday during the day.
The local daily Bangor Daily News and its partner Decision Desk HQ then declared the opponents to the project as winners.
Heavy consequences
This bitter setback screwed up an electricity supply contract that the State of Massachusetts had concluded with Hydro-Quebec and which was to bring in $ 10 billion over 20 years.
Indeed, the agreement depended on the construction of a 233-kilometer interconnection line in western Maine to serve the entire New England region. The work to build it, estimated at 1 billion, had already started in Quebec.
In a report published Tuesday in the Newspaper, the spokesperson for Hydro-Quebec had however predicted a “tight” result in the referendum.
This is the second time in a few years that a project of this magnitude has been blocked by our neighbors to the south. In 2018, a similar project was aborted due to the unfavorable decision of commissioners in New Hampshire, where the line was to pass first.
Historical expenditure
The groups that funded the yes and no camps of the referendum question spent amounts unprecedented in Maine history to influence the population.
Those who wanted to prevent this ban and thereby enable the project spent US $ 67 million on the advertising campaign, of which US $ 20 million came from Hydro.
They brought together environmentalists, elected officials and companies in favor of the project.
The energy secretary of the administration of Democratic President Joe Biden was among Hydro-Quebec’s allies.
Those in favor of the ban brought together other elected officials, but also environmentalists and competitors of Hydro-Quebec, or gas-fired power stations that wanted to block the state corporation. Officially, they spent US $ 25 million on advertising.
On several occasions, the boss of Hydro-Quebec, Sophie Brochu, had accused opponents of playing “dirty” and leading a campaign of disinformation.