Maine Statute
The Northern Maine Renewable Energy Project is a project required to be built by Maine law. The law was passed in 2021 and was revised in 2024. The law includes:
12 MRSA §685-B, sub-§2-D – States that permits for the Northern Maine Renewable Energy Development Program are issued by the Department of Environmental Protection.
35-A MRSA §3210-I – Establishes the Northern Maine Renewable Energy Development Program, to remove obstacles to the use of and to promote development of the substantial renewable energy resources in Aroostook County and any other area where NMISA administers the retail electricity market.
35-A MRSA §3210-I, sub-§1, ¶E – Mandates that the development of the transmission infrastructure is in the public interest.
35-A MRSA §3210-I, sub-§2 – The transmission line or lines must be capable of connecting at least 1200MW of renewable energy resources located in northern Maine (Aroostook County or elsewhere in NMISA territory).
The transmission contract must be for 30 years. The generation contract must be for 20 years. Except that the law allows the Public Utilities Commission to approve projects with different durations.
Timeline
(Starting with most recent year, scroll down for prior years)
2026
1/23/26 – Stand alone Transmission proposals due to Maine PUC.
2/6/26 – Maine PUC closes docket 2025-00361 and opens docket 2026-00033 as new location for Northern Maine Transmission Line RFP.
2/27/26 – Joint bids for transmission and any Generation proposals due to Maine PUC.
2/27/26 – Maine PUC extends bid deadline until 3/2/26.
4/28/26 – Maine PUC amends the RFP and reopens the bid window.
7/28/26 – ISO NE issues a draft report selecting Central Maine Power as the preliminary preferred bidder(s) for the LTTP.
8/3/26 – ISO NE clarifies that the potential downside scenario for the selected bids is a 167% cost increase.
8/14/26 – ISO NE issues the final report selecting a joint Central Maine Power and Eversource proposal for the LTTP. NESCOE has until September 14, 2020 to respond.
8/25/26 – Maine PUC announces RFP selection – Avangrid’s (CMP) proposal for transmission and Clearway Energy Group’s proposal for generation.
9/4/26 – Maine PUC issues order recommending the selection of Avangrid and Clearway Energy Group.
2025
3/31/2025 – ISO-NE releases the RFP for Longer Term Transmission Upgrade (LTTU)—this Request For Proposals will work in tandem with the Maine PUC Northern Maine Transmission Line RFP.
6/10/25 – ”Resolve, to Direct the Governor’s Energy Office to Conduct a Study Regarding the Future of Electric Transmission Infrastructure in the State” passed into law. This law directs the Governor’s Energy Office (now called the Department of Energy Resources) to study the process for transmission line procurement for the state’s future needs.
6/17/25 – An Act Regarding the Approval of Transmission Lines signed into law. This act avoids the legislative approval requirement for any transmission line that is “approved for a contract after a competitive procurement conducted by the commission or a state agency”—completely subverting the intention of the 60% approval 2021 referendum.
10/3/2025 – PUC posts draft RFP for Northern Maine Transmission Line. Item 52 2024-00099
10/8/2025 – PUC posts notice of rulemaking for eminent domain and property abutting transmission line docket 2025-00279.
10/29/2025 – Responses and comments due to the draft RFP for the Northern Maine Transmission Line in item 52 2024-00099.
11/14/25 – ISO-NE posts a summary of bids for the LTTP RFP with a presentation and discussion following on 11/19/25.
11/18/2025 – Final Comments Due for Eminent Domain Rulemaking (docket 2025-00279).
12/19/2025 – Maine PUC issues RFP for the Northern Maine Renewable Energy procurement.
2024
4/1/2024 PUC releases a new RFI for the transmission line in docket 2024-00099.
4/22/24 – Preserve Rural Maine worked with legislators and other interested groups to revise eminent domain law in Maine granting more protections to property owners. The law, “An Act to Protect Property Owners by Making Certain Changes to the Laws Governing the Use of Eminent Domain by Transmission and Distribution Utilities”, passed both legislative chambers unanimously and was signed by Governor Mills. Read more here.
4/22/24 – A bill revising the Northern Maine Renewable Energy program was signed into law.
2023
6/22/23 – Governor Mills signs the Resolve granting legislative approval to the project even without knowing where the projects will be built.
6/22/23 – Letters from LS Power to property owners were mailed. The letters included maps of two possible routes for the transmission line, demonstrating that they knew the routes even though they testified before the Energy, Utilities, and Technology Committee stating stating that they did not.
8/30/23 – Preserve Rural Maine officially founded.
12/22/23 – The PUC terminated the procurement with LS Power and King Pine due to an inability of the various parties (including other states) to come to an agreement on the terms of a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) and Transmission Service Agreement (TSA).
2022
11/1/22 – PUC selects LS Power and King Pine as the winning bidders in docket 2021-00369 item 139.
2021
6/29/21 – Legislation establishing the Northern Maine Renewable Energy program is signed into law.
8/4/21 – The PUC opens Notice of Inquiry regarding the Northern Maine Transmission Line in docket 2021-00223.
11/3/21 – Maine voters, through a statewide referendum, required that any high-impact electric transmission line projects must receive approval from two-thirds of each state legislative chamber.
11/16/21 – Maine PUC opens the docket 2021-00369 and issues the RFP for the Northern Maine transmission line.