New Hampshire’s largest electric utility, Eversource Energy, has just filed an application for another transmission line in the state. This one, if ultimately approved, would connect substations between Madbury and Portsmouth through other towns. Martin Murray, communications manager for Eversource told Roger Wood that it is part of SeacoastSolution, to meet growing energy demands in the region. See news release below. For InDepthNH.org, I’m Roger Wood
Eversource news release
MANCHESTER, New Hampshire — Eversource Energy today filed an application for a Certificate of Site and Facility with the New Hampshire Site Evaluation Committee for the SeacoastReliability Project (SRP), a new 115-kilovolt transmission line connecting substations in Madbury and Portsmouth.
The SRP is part of the Seacoast Solution, a suite of projects that are needed to support the reliable delivery of electric power, in order to meet the region’s current demand and support future economic growth. The Independent System Operator of New England (ISO-NE) has identified additional transmission capacity as an urgent need in the Seacoastregion. In addition to meeting that need, construction of the SRP will result in other economic benefits to local communities, including long-term property tax revenues in host communities and the creation of local jobs during construction.
The project is approximately a 13-mile long transmission line, within the communities of Madbury, Durham, Newington and Portsmouth and utilizes a combination of overhead, underground and underwater line design. Before construction can begin, the project must receive a Certificate of Site and Facility from the New Hampshire Site Evaluation Committee (SEC).
This group of officials, including two publicly appointed representatives, has up to 14 months to review the application and determine whether to issue the Certificate. Eversource completed an initial round of Public Information Sessions last year, in advance of the SEC filing and will host another round in Strafford and Rockingham Counties within 45 days of the SEC deeming the application to be complete. Additional public hearings will be hosted by the SEC within 90 days of that determination.
These events provide an opportunity for members of the public to register questions or comments with the SEC regarding the project. For more information about the Seacoast Reliability Project, visit eversource.com.