Published 02-15-24
Submitted by National Grid
Updated 1/30/2024
WALTHAM, Mass /CSRwire/ - National Grid submitted its Electric Sector Modernization Plan – the Future Grid Plan -- to the Department of Public Utilities (DPU) outlining the critical investments needed in the local electric distribution system over the next five and ten years to meet Massachusetts’ nation-leading climate change, clean energy, and equity goals. The proposed investments in the plan are foundational to meeting electric demand that is projected to more than double by 2050, due primarily to the electrification of heating and transportation.
The plan outlines a path to upgrade and expand the capacity of the electric distribution grid, ensure reliability, accelerate the connection of more solar, storage and electrified heating and transportation, empower smart customer choices, and enable a just and equitable transition away from a fossil-based economy. The plan details National Grid’s commitment to delivering a fair, affordable, and clean energy future for all its customers while meeting the goals set out in the state’s 2050 Clean Energy and Climate Plan (2050 CECP).
The company submitted an initial draft of this Future Grid Plan to the Grid Modernization Advisory Council (GMAC) in September 2023. The plan submitted today incorporates recommendations from the GMAC along with feedback from hundreds of customers and stakeholders from across the Commonwealth.
“We are committed to being at the heart of the clean, fair, and affordable energy transition and meeting Massachusetts’ climate and clean energy goals” said Nicola Medalova, chief operating officer for National Grid’s New England electric business. “At its core, a transformation of the energy ecosystem is required to achieve these goals and the electric distribution network is foundational to enabling this transformation. It will require new and expanded infrastructure in all communities to meet growing demand, collaboration and engagement among all of society, and an electric network that is fundamentally smarter, stronger, and cleaner than today.”
A Focus on Smarter, Stronger, Cleaner Energy Goals
Meeting the Commonwealth’s climate and clean energy goals will require the connection of large amounts of new, clean energy resources to the electric grid and the accelerated adoption of clean, electrified technologies by customers statewide. By 2050, the electric distribution system will be the primary fuel network powering the economy and everyday life. Achieving this requires a smarter, stronger, and cleaner grid and policy changes, including permitting and siting reform and anticipatory planning, to enable proactive investments that:
“Our Future Grid Plan is innovative, customer-centric, and equity-focused to ensure customers and communities across our diverse service area can participate in and benefit from the clean and electrified energy future, while providing high quality service and reliability,” said Medalova.
Three Key Areas of Investment
Over the next five years, the company proposes to invest approximately $2.5 billion in three key areas to enable the Commonwealth to meet the 2050 CECP climate and clean energy goals and interim decarbonization milestones, including:
The investments proposed in this Future Grid Plan are projected to have an average annual impact of 0.6 percent over the five-year investment period.
Equity, Transparency, and Affordability
Centered on affordability and equity, the plan is designed to meet the state’s climate goals based on transparent, data-driven, proactive distribution system planning. The plan is designed to ensure that the most cost-effective solutions are implemented, that customer owned DERs can help meet reliability needs and defer system upgrades, and that economic opportunity is generated for all. The plan does this by:
Next Steps
The DPU will review the plan through a formal regulatory process that includes opportunity for public comment and intervention. This process is anticipated to take seven months, after which the DPU will issue an order approving, rejecting, or modifying the plan. The plan, a summary, fact sheet and related information, can be found on the National Grid Future Grid web page.
About National Grid
National Grid (NYSE: NGG) is an electricity, natural gas, and clean energy delivery company serving more than 20 million people through our networks in New York and Massachusetts. National Grid is focused on building a smarter, stronger, cleaner energy future — transforming our networks with more reliable and resilient energy solutions to meet state climate goals and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
For more information, please visit our website, follow us on X (formerly Twitter), watch us on YouTube, like us on Facebook and find us on Instagram.
Media Contacts
John Lamontagne
Massachusetts
339-223-6077
National Grid (NYSE: NGG) is an electricity, natural gas, and clean energy delivery company serving more than 20 million people through our networks in New York and Massachusetts. National Grid is focused on building a path to a more affordable, reliable clean energy future through our fossil-free vision. National Grid is transforming our electricity and natural gas networks with smarter, cleaner, and more resilient energy solutions to meet the goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
For more information, please visit our website, follow us on Twitter, watch us on YouTube, like us on Facebook and find our photos on Instagram.
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