June 14, 2007

Remember when Big Jim's “philosophical” opposition to the state buying the Connecticut River power dams let them go to a Canadian owner?

The new owner is upgrading the Vernon dam's electricity production by 33%.

Dam to boost power by a third

June 13, 2007

By Susan Smallheer Herald Staff

VERNON — The 98-year-old Vernon hydroelectric facility on the Connecticut River is getting a major overhaul, including a 33 percent boost in power production.

The dam will celebrate its 100 years of operation in 2009, and Bruce Wick, project manager for the $46 million project, said some of the turbines being replaced date back to 1909. The project will boost power from 24 megawatts to

32 megawatts.

…TransCanada bought (the dams) two years ago from the bankrupt USGen New England Inc. for $505 million. The network has a capacity of 567 megawatts of renewable energy.