U.S. border states need to find new ways to import Quebec hydroelectricity, according to Vermont Governor Peter Shumlin, who made the comments during a visit from Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard Monday.
Vermont imports 225 megawatts of hydroelectricity a year and has recently closed its only nuclear power plant.
Shumlin would not, however, speculate on the technical possibilities of connecting such projects as the New Hampshire Northern Pass, the New York Champlain Express and Vermont’s New England Power Link.
Shumlin noted that Vermont has had agreements with Quebec for 30 years, which puts it in a good position compared to other northeastern states which have had no such history of ententes with Quebec.
Couillard and Shumlin, who met for the third time in less than a year, also renewed the Agreement on Cooperation in Environmental Management of Lake Champlain, signed for the first time in 1988.
Quebec share about $4.5 billion in annual trade, a total which has risen by 40 percent over the last four years.
-With a file from The Canadian Press
