What is an ESMP?

With its Clean Energy Climate Plans, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts has established aggressive clean energy targets aimed at transitioning to a decarbonized future. 

Last year Massachusetts passed “ An Act Driving Clean Energy and Offshore Wind” (Climate Law). The Climate Law requires each Electric Distribution Company to prepare an Electric Sector Modernization Plan (ESMP) that is transparent, proactively upgrades the distribution system, modernizes the grid and integrates more clean energy.  

In recognition of the critical role the electric distribution system plays in enabling clean energy and electrification over the next 25 years, we crafted our ambitious and detailed ESMP outlining critical steps we’ll take in the next five and 10 years, as well as a vision for the steps that will be needed to meet decarbonization targets by 2050.

The ESMP presents:

• Our comprehensive distribution and technology plan to add system capacity that will support electrification, harden the distribution system to withstand impacts of major storms, and transition to advanced metering infrastructure to provide customers greater control over their energy use and costs.
• A roadmap to inform future clean energy program designs and rate re-designs to build a reliable and resilient foundation that propels adoption of customer electrification and integration of clean energy resources.
• Environmental, health and economic benefits of decarbonization and climate change mitigation.
• An opportunity for stakeholders, customers and environmental justice communities to be engaged in the decision-making process as we enable clean energy in Massachusetts

How We’ll Execute

Over the five-year period beginning in 2025, we plan to invest $4.5 billion in electric operations and $1 billion in clean energy enablement.

We also plan to invest in new resiliency technology, annual grid operations and maintenance to continue providing safe and reliable service.

These clean energy investments will allow for the adoption of 2.5 million electric vehicles and 1 million heat pumps across the Eversource service territory in Massachusetts. Additionally, these investments will enable 2.2 GW of solar.

How our ESMP Benefits Customers

Beyond meeting the Commonwealth’s long term clean energy targets, our ESMP outlines tangible customer benefits, including:

• Grid reliability, resiliency and safety.
• Cost-effectively making the grid upgrades necessary to enable an increase in solar interconnections.
• Enablement of transportation and heating electrification goals.
• Reduced greenhouse gas emissions and air pollutants.
• Encouraging development of new tools and technology to enable greater control over energy use and costs.

Transparency and Stakeholder Input

Submission of our ESMP to the Grid Modernization Advisory Council (GMAC) is an important first step in increasing the transparency and inclusiveness of our infrastructure investment decision making. 

As we transition to this cleaner future, proposed clean energy infrastructure investments must achieve both equity and clean energy objectives. We believe energy justice, affordability, and reliability goals can be accomplished simultaneously and that this balance will improve our collective success in achieving our shared clean energy goals.

We will work with the GMAC prior to submitting our plan to the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities (DPU) to gather feedback through community outreach, especially from our environmental justice communities, to ensure that their voices are heard and feedback on this ESMP is incorporated. 

To do this, we are proposing the development of a Community Engagement Stakeholder Advisory Group (CESAG) with members of key community-based organizations who can help us prioritize the voices and lived experiences of our customers.

Over the course of the next three months, Eversource will incorporate feedback received from the GMAC, stakeholders, and customers in its final ESMP that will be submitted to the Department of Public Utilities in January 2024.

Read our draft Electric Sector Modernization Plan (PDF).