National Grid has begun a multi-year, $470 million project involving the upgrade of a high-voltage transmission line that travels from Vernon, Vermont, through southeastern New Hampshire, and continues into Franklin and Worcester counties.
“The goal is to replace structures and foundations, add new conductors and improve right-of-way access,” said National Grid Corporate Affairs Representative Bob Kievra. “The need to trim back vegetation and modernize right-of-ways is a necessary step as well.”
The work is being done as the infrastructure in place is approaching the end of its useful life, according to a website dedicated to the project. Restoration of the work area will be done once the project, called the A1/B2 Transmission Line Project, is complete.
The project involves upgrading more than 570 structures along a roughly 47-mile stretch, and connects into 6.8 miles of upgraded lines that have already been completed in New Hampshire and Vermont.
National Grid has stated that the $470 million project will be reflected in consumers’ utility bills, gradually, over the next several years. The work will be done in phases over four years, with the new corridor expected to be completed and in operation by late 2030.
Dating to 1909, National Grid is believed to have the oldest transmission line in New England. Aside from repairs and clearing of vegetation, no upgrades have been done since then, according to Kievra.
“While the lines continue to serve the region, they no longer meet modern reliability and capacity needs,” National Grid said. “Due to their design and configuration, the existing system is more susceptible to outages caused by lightning, vegetation and other environmental factors, and its design limits access by modern equipment for maintenance and upgrades, which can lead to more frequent interruptions and longer restoration times for customers.”
The utility company said the line was originally constructed to deliver hydropower from Vermont to towns in northern Franklin and Worcester counties. The line supported industrial growth and major infrastructure development in the early 1900s, including the construction of the tunnels necessary to expand the water supply for Boston from the Quabbin and Wachusett reservoirs.
National Grid is modernizing the infrastructure in an effort to strengthen capacity amid growing energy demands, support economic activity and accommodate new customers. ISO New England, the operator of the New England electric grid, said last spring that increasingly widespread electric heating and transportation is projected to push demand on the grid up about 11% by the mid-2030s.
The utility company held meetings about the transmission line project with local and state officials, including the towns of Warwick, Winchendon, Royalston and Athol.
In Warwick and Royalston, National Grid crews are already at work on the transmission lines, while Athol will be receiving new hardware and infrastructure upgrades to the tap line that runs into the Chestnut Hill Avenue Substation beginning in May 2029.
Athol Town Manager Shaun Suhoski said he is happy to see the project get underway and that it is needed.
“This is a major investment and they are looking toward the future, which is good,” Suhoski said of National Grid.
Athol officials have also been discussing increasing the capacity to the Chestnut Hill Avenue Substation and are in negotiations with National Grid.
Warwick Assistant Town Coordinator Diana Noble noted that the National Grid transmission line crosses Route 78 in the northern section of town. She said Warwick has a “light touch” on the project as it travels along the edge of the community.
National Grid has provided a website to help inform consumers about what they can expect to see in their towns as the project continues. For more specific details, including project dates affecting the towns involved, visit newenglanda1b2.com.
Information from State House News Service was used in this report.