The Muskrat Falls dream rewards were for people on both sides of the Canadian Border.
Massachusetts is legally committed to a 33% reduction in greenhouse gasses by 2025 over 1990, 50% by 2030, and carbon neutrality by 2050 with an 85% reduction in emissions. The Massachusetts State 2050 Decarbonization Roadmap, in December 2020, identified electrification of homes, businesses, and road vehicles as being “The most cost-effective (and perhaps the only feasible) ways…” In 2021, a contractual agreement was reached with Canada for other hydro-generated renewable electricity for 9.45 Tera Watt Hours per year for 20 years. Construction has gone on while court battles rage.
Massachusetts, at the end of 2022:
Residents paid a rate USD$0.3171 KWH for electricity,
80% of homes were not heated with electricity,
2019 GWH of utility-scale electricity generation was available,
only 15% of electricity generation was renewable,
only 7.4% of total energy use was renewable,
about 21000 of 5000000 vehicles were electric (0.42%), and
vehicles traveled more than 54.1B miles (2020).
A US Dept of Energy Study in February 2023 cited prior 2020 work, which suggested that there were requirements for 3 to 6 times as much incoming (Canadian) electricity supply (4.1-7.1 GW) compared to the 1.2 GW line under construction. The line under construction would only provide enough power to offset 700,000 vehicles’ emissions. At that rate, more than 4,300,000 vehicles’ emissions still would have to be avoided or offset.
Massachusetts can’t reach its Roadmap goals without Canadian hydroelectric power.
New York’s legal commitments are for doubling renewables (27% in 2023) from 35% to 70 % over the next 9 years. By 2040 New York electricity demand is forecast to rise 75% while being 100% renewable or nuclear electricity sources. New York imports 75% of its electricity (from a 2020 study). New York can’t meet its Roadmap goals without Canadian hydroelectric power, either.
The dreams of success meant much to people nationally and across the continent. Muskrat Falls was a shared dream of the Green Transformation. The project was big. The failure was big.
In EkaLore’s next piece how the failure happened and then problems in 2023 and beyond.
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