Get the best experience and stay connected to your community with our Spectrum News app. Learn More
Continue in Browser
Get hyperlocal forecasts, radar and weather alerts.
Please enter a valid zipcode.
Save
As the United States’ trade war with Canada continues, Canadian leaders said cutting power to Maine is unlikely, but the option hasn’t been ruled out completely.
“It’s not a move we’re making today or tomorrow,” New Brunswick Premier Susan Holt said in a conference last week. “And if there aren’t further actions from the U.S., you’re not going to see that happen.”
The Maine Public Utilities Commission tells Spectrum News that New Brunswick provides the state with an estimated 1.5 million MWh at a cost of around $165 million for Maine standard offer service. The MPUC said the cost varies by year.
PUC Chairman Phil Bartlett said losing this connection would cause “significant challenges” for the Maine Public District.
“Obviously, this would create significant challenges for the Maine Public District given that it is not interconnected with ISO-New England,” Bartlett said in a statement in response to being asked how the state might be affected if New Brunswick decides to cut off power. “But instead relies on its interconnection with New Brunswick for power it needs beyond what is produced within MPD.
Premier Holt said multiple times throughout the conference that the province has no plans to cut off power to Maine — but that could change if the U.S. escalates tariffs.
“It’s not something that we’re doing right now, and it’s not something that we’re doing tomorrow,” said Holt. “In order for us to consider that option, the situation would have to change dramatically in terms of the tariffs that New Brunswick is exposed to and how those are impacting our economy.”
Holt said it’s important for leaders to consider all of the options and their outcomes.
“The livelihood of New Brunswickers has been put at risk by a president who has threatened economic measures that will impact jobs and people’s incomes here in New Brunswick,” Holt said. “So, we have to consider all of our options, and we have to do that with cool heads, and we have to do that with information. We have to consider all of the possible impacts, and make sure that we’re making the best decision for New Brunswick for tomorrow and for the long term with neighbors that we are exceptionally economically integrated with. So, these are decisions that need to be taken very carefully.”
Versant Power tells Spectrum News 37,211 of their customers in the Maine Public District are interconnected with just Canada. The Bangor Hydro district is connected with the rest of New England, but also receives power from Canada.
“Like other individuals and businesses, we are staying tuned for more details on potential federal policy changes,” a Versant Power representative said in a statement. “Our priorities are the safety of and service to our customers, and we are committed to communicating any important information as we receive it.
Between Versant Power’s Maine Public District and some smaller consumer-owned utilities, there are approximately 58,000 Maine customers who rely solely on Canadian electricity.
Just days after the conference, Premier Holt met with Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey, and said in a news release that the province needs to keep its relationship with its neighbors “strong and open.”
