BOSTON (AP) — Massachusetts officials say they might be forced to select a different project to deliver clean energy into the state.
A spokesman for the state's energy office released a carefully-worded statement on Friday, one day after New Hampshire regulators rejected Northern Pass, the Eversource-backed project that Massachusetts had chosen to deliver hydropower from Quebec.
The statement does not mention Northern Pass by name, but notes the state's procurement process requires that utility companies conclude contract negotiations with the selected project by March 27.
Spokesman Peter Lorenz says if the contracts cannot be finalized, the selection process would have to be revisited and another project named to advance.
Eversource has said it would consider appealing Thursday's 7-0 vote by the New Hampshire Site Evaluation Committee against issuing a permit for Northern Pass.