BOSTON -- The Baker administration's decision to award multi-billion-dollar clean power contracts to Eversource Energy and Hydro-Quebec has revealed areas of common cause between fossil fuel interests and renewable energy advocates in Massachusetts and New England.

Northern Pass Transmission, a partnership between the two corporations, was selected as the exclusive winner of a competition to power a million Bay State homes for up to 20 years, Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources Commissioner Judith Judson announced on Thursday.



The plans for a 1,092-megawatt, 192-mile power line through New Hampshire -- paired with power from the Canadian hydro giant -- motored past 45 other applicants in the Massachusetts Clean Energy RFP, which called for diverse proposals to serve 9.45 annual terrawatts of low-carbon electricity to the Bay State.

Competing transmission proposals were submitted by Central Maine Power, TDI New England, Emera, and National Grid. Dozens of generation proposals came from wind, solar, other hydro, and storage developers across the northern states and Canada.

Judson told reporters that Northern Pass and Hydro-Quebec "rose to the top" when considering a number of hard and soft criteria, including the ability to slash the state's greenhouse gas emissions and deliver benefits to consumers.

With news of the monolithic award, reactions were swift from environmental groups, a clean energy business association, and an organization that represents power plants. Former Newton Mayor Setti Warren, one of three Democrats hoping to unseat Republican Gov. Charlie Baker in the 2018 election, delivered sharp words.

Several commenters said Eversource should not have had representatives on a state-sponsored committee that evaluated the proposals.

"The fact that Eversource effectively awarded itself a huge contract even though they were not the lowest bidder is a move that would make Dick Cheney proud," said Warren, who called for an opinion from the State Ethics Commission.

Warren said Eversource had an "uncomfortably clo

se relationship" with Baker's procurement process, one marked by a "lack of transparency" and "an appearance of a clear conflict of interest."

Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey said last week her office would scrutinize the closed-door selection process to make sure that it was transparent, competitive, and fair.

The committee that selected Northern Pass and Hydro-Quebec included representatives from Eversource, National Grid, and Unitil -- the state's three major utilities -- as well as from Baker's energy department. The group evaluated dozens of proposals, including transmission projects planned by Eversource and National Grid.

An independent monitor was assigned to keep an eye on things, the energy corporations agreed to a standard of conduct that barred internal discussion of the procurement process, and the contracts must be approved by utility regulators.

Nonetheless, the Conservation Law Foundation, which has been locked in battle with the Northern Pass since 2011, slammed the selection process and implicated Eversource.

"Choosing Northern Pass reflects a process corrupted by the heavy hand of our region's largest utility," said CLF clean energy director Greg Cunningham. "This decision is a slap in the face to dozens of affected communities and thousands of local residents who have been outspoken in opposing this harmful proposal."

The New England Power Generators Association, which represents the interest of power plants, joined the chorus.

"Eversource wrote the (request for proposals), and by picking their own project as the winner, have made consumers the losers," wrote NEPGA president Dan Dolan.

Dolan said Massachusetts ratepayers will be asked to guarantee revenue for Eversource and Hydro-Quebec "through an above-market contract for electricity for the next two decades."

NEPGA supports competitive wholesale power markets and has long opposed efforts to insulate certain forms of energy from economic competition, said Dolan.

The Northeast Clean Energy Council, a regional business group, made no reference to any perceived conflict, but expressed disappointment that the entire Massachusetts solicitation went to the Canadian hydro giant, when Eversource had also submitted a bid that contained 30 percent wind and solar.

Massachusetts lawmakers in 2016 specifically called for wind, solar and other renewables in the bid process to diversify the state's energy mix, encourage innovation, and ensure healthy price competition to hydro, said NECEC president Peter Rothstein.

The exclusive award "is a major setback to the effort to truly diversify the Commonwealth's energy mix and advance renewable energy," Rothstein said.

Acadia Center president Daniel Sosland said he is "disappointed but not surprised" with the choice, which allowed for no wind or solar added to the mix.

The Boston-based think tank and advocacy group had argued against letting the utilities bid for the contracts while also sitting on the selection committee, Sosland said.

Acadia Center senior attorney Amy Boyd added that the selected project was supposed to provide limited risk to Massachusetts ratepayers, but that key information has been hidden from public view.

"We don't know the relative benefit-cost ratios because the price terms are confidential, but choosing only one project from an existing importer of electricity has major risks," said Boyd.

Emily Norton, Massachusetts chapter director of the Sierra Club, took swipes at Baker and Hydro-Quebec, which aims to double its revenues by 2030 through power exports from its dozens of dams and reservoirs.

"By choosing Canadian hydro, we will be shipping more of our energy dollars out of the country to purchase destructive Canadian hydro. Not only will we be contributing to ecological destruction on a massive scale, we will be furthering the exploitation of the indigenous people of Canada," Norton said.

On Beacon Hill, Republican Senate minority leader Bruce Tarr praised the "bold action" with some caveats.

He said the selection "is a critical and monumental step" toward reducing the state's carbon footprint, and that "there is no time to lose in constructing a new energy structure to get us to that future."

"Clearly, hydro-electricity is an important part of a comprehensive energy plan and portfolio," said Tarr. "We must continue to work on other components such as solar and wind energy, and to identify and pursue all of the possibilities before us, including storage and conservation."

The $1.6 billion Northern Pass was not the least expensive transmission proposal, but Eversource says it would be completed two years ahead of its competitors, and therefore start delivering clean energy benefits sooner. Massachusetts must reduce its carbon emissions by 80 percent below 1990 levels by 2050, according to the Global Warming Solutions Act.

Despite popular resistance from affected communities, Northern Pass is supported by New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu and business leaders in the Granite State.

Eversource has promised a package of benefits to New Hampshire, and entered a labor agreement with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers "to generate thousands of jobs during peak construction."

The union praised Thursday's announcement, saying it "not only brings tremendous clean energy benefits to our region, but will also provide opportunity for thousands of working families in Massachusetts and New Hampshire."

Eversource executive vice president Lee Olivier said the project's "clean, affordable power" would bring "much-needed price stability and emissions reductions" and "deliver significant economic and environmental benefits for years to come."

"We are pleased with the decision ... and appreciate the thorough review by the Massachusetts bid evaluation team," said Olivier.

Running from Pittsburgh to Deerfield, New Hampshire, 60 miles of the high-voltage line would be buried as it traverses the White Mountain National Forest. The project, with key federal and Canadian permits in hand, still lacks an essential OK from the New Hampshire Site Evaluation Committee.

Canadian media outlets are reporting that Hydro-Quebec could gain $10 billion in revenue through the 20-year contracts with Massachusetts, and that its ability to predict long-term pricing was an important factor in its selection.

Under Baker's 2016 Energy Diversity Act, the utilities will be allowed to reject any clean power contracts that are financially unreasonable.

In Massachusetts, a similar clean energy solicitation is now underway for offshore wind. Three partnerships -- including one involving Eversource -- have submitted bids in that state-sponsored solicitation.

Mary Serreze can be reached at mserreze@gmail.com