The Northeast Energy Link is a proposed new direct current (DC) transmission line between northern Maine and southern New England. The Project was conceived in mid-2007 and introduced to the Independent System Operator New England (ISO-NE) and New England stakeholders in December of 2007.  

The Northeast Energy Link project consists of the addition of a transmission upgrade interconnecting areas in eastern Massachussetts and Southwest Connecticut (SWCT) with incremental energy and capacity resources located in Northern Maine, New Brunswick, Atlantic Canada, and Quebec.

Nationally, it is recognized that our existing transmission infrastructure is not adequate to meet the connection and transfer needs of growing renewable energy sources. The Northeast Energy Link project employs high voltage direct current (HVDC) technology to bolster the transmission system between northern Maine and southern New England. The Northeast Energy Link project would enable development of new energy and capacity resources in northern Maine and eastern Canada.

In a 2007 study, ISO-NE concluded that the import of lower cost renewable energy sources would provide significant benefit to New England consumers. It is proposed that the project will meet system needs identified by ISO-NE, and result in regional benefits including:

• Broad consumer benefits of lower energy cost in the range of $500M to $1.3B per year across New England (at 660 MW capacity level)
• Strong environmental benefits from increased integration of renewable and low-carbon energy sources and improved fuel diversity
• Reduced system congestion
• Increased system reliability, primarily due to supply diversity