The construction project will commence in June with work at the company’s Millbury Substation.
National Grid’s transmission line project in Massachusetts is part of a larger 75-mile long 345 kV transmission line known as the Interstate Reliability Project (IRP) planned for construction in the states of Massachusetts and Rhode Island by National Grid, and in Connecticut by The Connecticut Light and Power Company.
The Interstate Reliability Project is a $512 million project that is one of the interrelated 345 kV transmission projects developed by ISO-New England, National Grid and Northeast Utilities, collectively known as the New England East-West Solution or "NEEWS." National Grid’s total investment in the NEEWS projects in Rhode Island and Massachusetts will be approximately $800 million.
"Investments like the NEEWS transmission projects are a perfect example of National Grid’s commitment to help design, build, and operate an energy infrastructure that is responsive to 21st century needs," said Marcy Reed, president of National Grid in Massachusetts. "By strengthening the network in New England, NEEWS will improve operational flexibility, reduce congestion costs, and help integrate cleaner generation resources."
As a whole, the NEEWS transmission projects are designed to address a number of system reliability needs in southern New England that ISO-NE has been studying since 2004. ISO-NE determined that ongoing energy conservation efforts, new power plants and new transmission are all needed to meet the region’s electricity demand.
National Grid has already completed one 345 kV NEEWS transmission project in Rhode Island (known as the Rhode Island Reliability Project) that was put in service in 2013 and is scheduled to complete two additional Rhode Island transmission lines by the end of 2015. The recent approval by the Massachusetts EFSB of the Interstate Reliability Project was the final approval needed in order to begin construction in Massachusetts. While the IRP was before the Massachusetts EFSB for consideration, an unprecedented wave of generation retirement announcements occurred, making robust, long-term solutions such as the IRP even more important.
National Grid will work to ensure public safety through the construction period and will also use environmental best management practices throughout all phases of construction.
