BOSTON and WALTHAM, MASSACHUSETTS – The closing of the Mystic Generating Station will create significant reliability risks in the Boston area, including overloaded transmission lines and overall system instability. To address those concerns, New England’s power grid manager, ISO New England (ISO-NE) issued a solicitation for competitive transmission solutions.

National Grid and Eversource announced that they have submitted a range of proposals for transmission solutions that will provide Greater Boston with enhanced electricity reliability, increasing capacity for the flow of new clean energy resources, while having a minimal community or environmental impact.

The eight proposals, ranging in cost from $48 million to $120 million, include upgrades to existing properties, are cost-effective, and can be built before Exelon retires Mystic Station on June 1, 2024, National grid said in the press release.

Other solutions include the construction of a new 345 kV transmission circuit along existing rights of way north of the Mystic Generating Station that will deliver added reliability, resilience and maximize the capacity to bring more clean energy into the Boston area.

ISO-NE is expected to make its decision on the winning proposal by mid-2021. 

Source: National Grid