National Grid has recently announced the completion of a portion of the Ready Path Solution, the grid reliability project for the Boston region.
The Ready Path Solution is the first competitively awarded reliability project chosen by ISO New England (ISO-NE), the region’s independent power grid operator. National Grid and Eversource partnered on the project as part of a collaboration to maintain the reliability of the region’s electric system.
The US$49 million project was selected in 2020 as the cost-effective solution to ensure grid reliability in anticipation of the 2024 retirement of the Mystic Generating Station, a 2000 MW fossil fuel-fired power plant. According to ISO-NE, without upgrades to the region’s electric grid, Mystic’s closure would create electric reliability risks for customers in the Greater Boston area.
National Grid recently completed installation of new equipment at its substations in Amesbury and Haverhill, Mass. The control system upgrades made at these substations will allow the electric transmission network to respond quickly and reliably to certain contingencies and avert transmission line overloads. This work was completed on budget and ahead of schedule.
In January 2022, Eversource announced completion of its portion of the Ready Path Solution, having finished installation of equipment at its existing North Cambridge substation to direct power flows more efficiently. Eversource’s work was also completed on budget and ahead of schedule.
National Grid is continuing work on the final piece of the Ready Path Solution, installing equipment at its substation in Tewksbury. The full project should be completed by the fall of 2023, well ahead of the scheduled Mystic station retirement. “Both National Grid and Eversource are making steady progress on the Ready Path project,” said Stephen Woerner, president of National Grid New England. “The retirement of the Mystic plant will help reduce fossil fuels in our New England energy mix, and this project will cost-effectively maintain reliable electricity to meet the Greater Boston region’s needs.”
“Ready Path was chosen as the most cost-effective solution to maintain system reliability — providing significant financial and environmental benefits to customers while also helping to ensure access to new sources of clean, renewable energy,” said Bill Quinlan, president of Transmission and Offshore Wind Projects, Eversource Energy. “This critical project’s continued progress to be complete ahead of schedule is great news for reliability in the region.”
For more information on the Ready Path Solution, visit www.greaterbostonreadypath.com.
