Eversource, local partners start construction planning for new city energy program
Planning is underway for the construction of Eversource Energy’s cutting-edge Greater Cambridge Energy Program (GCEP), which will provide the region with additional power, support increased electrification, bolster the resiliency of the transmission system, and help the City of Cambridge meet its clean energy goals.
“The Greater Cambridge Energy Program is a prime example of how collaboration can lead to innovative transmission solutions that provide direct benefits to our customers and communities — ensuring reliability while advancing the region’s clean energy future, strengthening the electric grid, and meeting decarbonization and electrification goals,” said Eversource President of Transmission and Offshore Wind Projects Bill Quinlan.
Following the recent GCEP approval by the Energy Facilities Siting Board, Eversource — which transmits and delivers electricity and natural gas and supplies water to 1.8 million customers throughout Massachusetts — immediately began coordinating with its local partners on construction planning for the initiative.
“We’re proud of our collaboration with our partners at BXP, the City of Cambridge, and the Cambridge Redevelopment Authority, as well as the City of Somerville and Allston/Brighton, on this important project,” Quinlan said. “We work with diverse communities across our service territory and know that it is critical to engage with all stakeholders to find new solutions to meet our customers’ energy needs.”
The GCEP is being designed to place a significant amount of needed infrastructure underground and out of sight, according to Eversource, and the program will include the company’s first underground substation, which will be the largest in the country at 35,000 square feet.
The substation will be located 120 feet underground between Broadway and Binney Street underneath a new public park, and it will be integrated into BXP’s mixed-use development project, the BXP Life Sciences Center.
Cambridge Redevelopment Authority Executive Director Tom Evans called the GCEP “a tremendous public-private collaboration” to plan and finance the construction of the underground electrical substation within the commercial center of Kendall Square, instead of adjacent to a residential neighborhood.
“This project will allow Eversource to continue to deliver reliable electricity to meet the area’s growth expectations and Cambridge’s carbon neutral goal, with a facility carefully stitched into the urban fabric,” said Evans. “Eversource and BXP have been strong, committed partners with the city in designing a project that is responsive to our community’s needs.”
“This project is a true example of public and private partnership created to solve a critical community challenge,” added Bryan Koop, executive vice president for BXP’s Boston region, on Monday.
Likewise, eight new 115-kilovolt (kV) underground transmission lines will be constructed and housed in five new buried electrical pathways spanning 8.3 miles through portions of Cambridge, Boston, and Somerville, Mass.
Upgrades are also planned for five substations, or clean energy hubs, in Cambridge, Somerville, and Allston/Brighton with the construction of 48 new distribution lines, says Eversource.
“A tremendous amount of outreach, collaboration, and creativity enabled this project to move forward,” said Cambridge City Manager Yi-An Huang. “Once completed, it will result in the first underground substation in Massachusetts and significantly help address Cambridge’s future energy needs.”
Eversource expects to begin construction on the underground transmission lines in early 2025, with work on the underground substation in coordination with BXP’s development project slated to start in early 2027. The energy company estimates that the GCEP will be in service in 2029 with the energization of the substation.
“We look forward to our continued work together to make this first-of-its-kind transmission solution a reality for customers,” said Quinlan.
