Central Maine Power Co. will use two Alna town roads to access construction on the New England Clean Energy Connect power corridor and repair damage caused by heavy equipment during the posted road season. The Alna Select Board gave authorization to the company at a special meeting Wednesday, March 27.
The New England Clean Energy Connect, a corridor connecting Quebec hydropower to Massachusetts and the regional power grid, was voted down in Maine by referendum in 2021. CMP and its parent company challenged the constitutionality of that lawsuit in court and won last year.
An additional transmission line runs from Windsor to Wiscasset on land owned by CMP. Work began at the north end in January. Troy Thibodeau, a public relations representative for CMP, said March 27 that work in Alna may be completed in late summer or fall this year.
Contractors will access the corridor via Route 218 on Rabbit Path and Lothrop roads, and under the terms of the agreement will repair damages from heavy vehicles on the road during the weight posting season. Audience and board members said the agreement could be a net positive for the town, providing repairs for roads that already were close to needing works.
The contract states repairs will be made with the road commissioner’s approval. Video was taken of the impacted roads before work began.
Equipment includes excavators, concrete trucks, flatbed trailer trucks, and a 90-ton drill rig on a lowboy truck. In response to audience question, Thibodeau said the drill rig will be on the road to enter the corridor and then drive down it on mat roads, likely all the way to Wiscasset.
Work will be under warranty for one year.
March 27’s meeting was the first for new First Selectperson Nicholas Johnston, who won a seat by write-in against incumbent Ed Pentaleri. Johnston said he grew up in Wiscasset, moved to Alna in 2016, has four children, and is a deputy commander of cadets for the Brunswick squadron of the Civil Air Patrol.
The Alna Select Board next meets at 6 p.m. Thursday, April 4 in the town office and by Zoom. For more information, go to alna.maine.gov.
