Mr. Balentine’s April 12 column on the proposed CMP corridor for HydroQuebec power has some regrettable errors of fact and troubling implications. He implies that Maine had an abundance of hydropower before environmentalists pushed for dam removal and that we would have power to sell if the dams had not been removed. Not true.

Maine in 2010 had a total capacity of 768 megawatts (every licensed dam in the state, MEDEP report 2010). Since that time four major dams have been removed. The 3.5 megawatt Edwards dam was removed – the power generated was less than the costs of FERC required upgrades. Three dams on the Penobscot – the 8.4 megawatt Veazie dam, the 7.9 megawatt Great Works dam and the 1.9 megawatt  Howland dam have been removed since 2012. Two dams have been upgraded to increase power generation. Thus, in 2015, Maine had 750 megawatts of hydropower in state, and the possibility of up to 56 megawatts more for a statewide capacity of 806 megawatts (LePage Administration Energy Office document).

The contract between HydroQuebec and Massachusetts power companies is for 1,090 megawatts annually – nearly 150% of the entire production of hydropower in the state of Maine. There is  no way that any single power generator in this state could fulfill that contract – the entire state could not.

I wish that Mr. Balentine would research his facts before spouting off.

Catherine DiPietro
Bridgton

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