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The parent company of Canadian utility Nova Scotia Power has teamed up with one of the largest utility companies in the US Northeast to study the feasibility of a new high-voltage transmission line from northern Maine and Canada's Maritime provinces to supply energy to the southern New England market. Emera, based in Halifax, and National Grid, an international energy delivery company based in England serving about 3.3 million customers in four northeast states, are looking at a multi-phase project to initially provide 660 MW of transfer capacity at a cost of about C$2 billion. The Northeast Energy Link would provide New England with access to "a portfolio of existing and future renewable generation" in both northern Maine and Atlantic Canada, the partners say. The idea of building new wind projects in the Maritimes, which has an excellent resource but a relatively small load, is one that has been gaining traction. The US Northeast is facing a supply gap of up to 10,000 MW in the next decade and several states are facing the need to comply with green power mandates.