Massachusetts utilities on Friday filed draft plans outlining how they will expand and upgrade their electric grids to meet rising demand while remaining on track to achieve the state’s net zero emissions target by 2050.
Boston-based Eversource expects to see a 20% demand increase within the next decade, and a 150% increase by 2050, driven by the electrification of space heating and transportation and other system growth.
“Some areas of the electric system have already exceeded their electric capacity limits while others are reaching those limits, and we anticipate that trend will accelerate even more as we look at the next 10-25 years,” Eversource Vice President for Grid Modernization Jen Schilling said in a statement.
Eversource said its draft plan calls for building new substations and upgrading others, and making system improvements “to better withstand the impacts of major storms, flooding, and other threats increasing due to climate change.”
National Grid said it is planning to spend $2 billion over the next five years for new and upgraded power lines, transformers and substations, to meet an anticipated doubling of system peak demand.
“This is a holistic plan that identifies the system investments and changes needed in the local electric distribution grid, its operations, and how it must perform to benefit all,” Nicola Medalova, National Grid New England’s chief operating officer, said in a statement.
The drafts were submitted to the Massachusetts Grid Modernization Advisory Council, which will provide feedback and recommendations in November. Utilities will submit final plans to the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities in January.
According to Eversource, its plan will increase its grid capacity by 180%, or 3.4 GW, enabling “full electrification” for customers adopting EVs or heat pumps in the utility’s Metro-Boston and Western Massachusetts regions. The system expansion will also provide “significant opportunities” for customers in the company’s MetroWest and South regions.
“In all, these clean energy investments will allow for the adoption of 2.5 million electric vehicles and 1 million heat pumps across the Eversource service territory in Massachusetts. Additionally, these investments will enable 2.2 GW of solar,” the utility said.
National Grid said its plan will help to grow grid capacity by 4 GW by 2035 to support an additional 1.1 million electric vehicles and 750,000 electric heat pumps. The proposal is projected to raise annual customer bills by about 2% over the initial investment period, the utility said.
“We are at an inflection point in the Commonwealth’s energy future,” Steve Woerner, president of National Grid’s New England operations, said in a statement. “With electric peak demand expected to double over the next 25 years, driven by substantial growth in the use of electric heating and transportation, now is the time to build a future grid that is smarter, stronger and cleaner.”
