Connecticut Light & Power has announced the approval of the Connecticut portion of the Greater Springfield Reliability Project (GSRP) by Connecticut siting officials. The new transmission project will improve electric system reliability and enhance customer access to cleaner, competitively priced energy sources.

"The Council’s recent decision on GSRP paves the way for construction of a new transmission line to move power more reliably around the area, relieving constraints and eliminating transmission line overloads,” said Kathleen Shea, CL&P Project Director. “The project will also create another path for delivering power into the Springfield area and Connecticut from other New England states, encourage competition among suppliers, enhance fuel diversity, and allow better access to lower-cost and renewable energy resources – all of which are critical to the region’s economic health,” she said.

GSRP includes the construction of a new overhead 345-kV line in an existing utility right of way that stretches 12 miles between North Bloomfield and Suffield, Connecticut. The Massachusetts portion of GSRP, under consideration by Massachusetts regulatory officials, includes 23 miles of overhead 345-kV line and related 115-kV transmission system upgrades. A decision on the Massachusetts portion of the project is expected later this year. The total cost of the project is estimated to be $714 million.

In a separate decision, the Connecticut Siting Council expressed interest in a variation to CL&P’s proposed Manchester to Meekville Junction Circuit Separation Project, which, because of a decision deadline, it denied without prejudice earlier this month. The company expects a decision soon that should resolve the reliability issues in Manchester, Connecticut.