BOSTON, Mass. (Date, 2023) – As part of an innovative rebuild of the regional electric grid to combat climate change and provide a more robust and resilient electric system for its customers, Eversource is constructing the Cape Cod Solution—New England’s largest transmission project to date for offshore wind development. The transformative infrastructure project will help deliver clean, renewable wind energy onto the regional grid for customers in New England and advance states’ clean energy goals. It will also directly benefit customers on Cape Cod with a stronger electric system, an important benefit given the area’s increasingly severe weather due to climate change.

“We are investing in our transmission system to interconnect more clean energy resources like offshore wind and distributed solar, and to accommodate increased demand for electricity as more customers adopt technologies like electric vehicles and heat pumps,” said Eversource President for Transmission and Offshore Wind Projects Bill Quinlan. “This co-optimized solution is being built with our customers’ current and future needs in mind, and the project is cost-effectively designed to have minimal impacts on the environment and Cape Cod communities.”

Eversource has started work on Phase I of the Cape Cod Solution, which consists of building an approximately 12.5-mile transmission line designed with future electric needs in mind. It will initially operate at 115 kV to immediately improve service reliability for customers on Cape Cod, but will have the ability to increase capacity to 345 kV for clean energy interconnection as offshore wind farms come online as part of Phase II. Additionally, the incremental costs of the equipment upgrade to 345 kV will be covered by Avangrid, which is developing Park City Wind—an approximately 800-megawatt wind farm being built off the coast of Cape Cod. 

As Phase II and eventually Phase III of the Cape Cod Solution proceed in the years ahead, Eversource will continue making transmission system upgrades to existing equipment and substations recognizing that an historic amount of offshore wind is expected to need interconnection. The Cape Cod Solution will be a cornerstone piece of the regional transmission system to deliver offshore wind generated power to Massachusetts and the rest of New England.

“Every time we look at expanding and upgrading our infrastructure, whether we’re doing it because we want it to be cheaper, we want it for security or we’re doing it because of the issues related to climate change and the global crisis that we’re facing, we need to make sure that the Cape Cod Solution is what happens with each of these projects,” said Massachusetts State Rep. David Vieira. “The Cape Cod Solution really is a global solution that improves the lives of our residents and protects the safety, security, health, and national security all interests by establishing a more resilient electric grid.” 

The energy company’s proactive approach allows for all necessary infrastructure upgrades, including the new transmission line, to be done within the company’s existing rights-of-way, minimizing the impact on local communities and the environment. The project also supports 135 full-time employees, including members for the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 104.

Additional information about the Cape Cod Solution can be found at Eversource.com. More information on the energy company’s year-round work to strengthen and modernize the electric system for customers is available here.

Chris McKinnon

617-424-2108

William Hinkle

603-634-2228

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