High-Voltage Project Planned For Blackstone Valley
National Grid begins campaign to win public favor
With aging infrastructure causing bottlenecks that could result in power outages, National Grid is hoping to act on plans to upgrade the high voltage transmission system that runs through the Blackstone Valley.
The project - estimated to cost in the neighborhood of $400 million - has been several years in the making, but National Grid only recently began an effort to raise awareness - and win support - for the project.
Communication Lines
The project calls for the construction of high voltage wires carrying 345,000 volts along an 18-mile stretch, starting from Millbury and roughly following the path of Route 146 through Sutton, a small corner of Northbridge, Uxbridge and Millville. The lines will continue through Rhode Island to North Smithfield and travel west to Connecticut.
For the most part, the new lines in the Blackstone Valley would follow the path of two existing overhead transmission lines and replace a third line that was removed more than a decade ago, according to David Beron, a project manager for National Grid. The utility has right-of-way easements for the entire stretch.
The existing transmission lines in New England, for the most part, date back to the late 40s, 50s and 60s and are inadequate to deal with the tremendous increases in power usage over the last 30 years, Beron said.
And that's why ISO-New England, the Holyoke-based manager of the region's power grid, has called for upgrades on transmission throughout New England. Transmission upgrades are also planned for a stretch from Springfield south to Connecticut. That upgrade will be handled by Connecticut-based Northeast Utilities, as will a project in eastern Connecticut. National Grid has also been working on an upgrade of transmission further south in Rhode Island.
Ronald Gillooly, director of community relations for National Grid, has been leading the charge to begin communicating plans with residents in the valley. The utility has put together a web site with information on the project (www.interstatereliability.com) and plans two public forums in the fall.
Gillooly said he's indentified 100 residential property owners as âabuttersâ of the transmission line route. In addition, the utility held a forum specifically for local officials on April 10. Megan T. DiPrete, the director of planning and economic development for the Town of Uxbridge, was one of those in attendance.
Although the plan for the Blackstone Valley has received some media attention, DiPrete said she has yet to get any phone calls from local residents with questions or concerns.
National Grid will have to get permits at several levels. The current timeline is for the utility to begin the process of gaining permits in late 2008 with construction to begin in 2010 and run through 2012.
DiPrete said it will be vital that National Grid communicate as much as possible before construction equipment starts arriving.
âI understand National Grid is going to have public forums and I think that's an important part of what's ahead. It's important that permitting not be done in a vacuum,â she said.
If National Grid's plan satisfies the requirements of ISO-New England, the price tag of the Blackstone Valley will be shared among all utility ratepayers in New England, Beron said.
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