September 13, 2022 Submitted by Hingham Municipal Lighting Plant
The Hingham Municipal Lighting Plant (HMLP) today announced it would hold an open house to seek feedback from Hingham residents and businesses about its planned Hingham Electrical Infrastructure Reliability Project (HEIRP). The event will be held at the Hingham Public Library, 66 Leavitt Street in Hingham. The hours are 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
HMLP’s project features a 3.7-mile 115 kV, underground transmission line that would traverse the public ways in Weymouth and Hingham. It would ensure the reliability of electric service to Hingham homes and businesses in the event of a disruption to the single, overhead transmission feed that currently serves the Town.
The proposed underground route would begin at a new tap station near the Connell Ice Rink in Weymouth, which will be owned and operated by Eversource, and continue underground along Weymouth and Hingham streets to a new HMLP-owned substation in Hingham.
During the open house event, HMLP will display large-format maps and provide information about the project. Members of the HMLP team will be on hand to answer
questions. The open-house format will allow residents to visit on their own schedule and provide important feedback regarding HMLP’s preliminary proposed route and its proposal to construct and operate a new substation at the Hingham Transfer Station.
Tom Morahan, HMLP General Manager, said that the proposed underground line and new substation “are necessary to ensure continued reliable electricity service for Hingham residents and businesses, and also will allow HMLP to support increased electrification consistent with the ambitious climate change goals of the Town of Hingham and the Commonwealth.”
“When construction is completed, residents and businesses in both Weymouth and Hingham will not know that the line is there,” Morahan said. “But, in order to get to that point, there will be some temporary disruption, and HMLP is committed to working with all affected residents, businesses and officials to ensure that local concerns are fully heard and that the impacts of construction are minimized.” For more information about the project, please visit the project’s website at http://heirp.com.
About HMLP
HMLP has been providing reliable electric services to the residents and businesses of Hingham for more than 127 years. Our mission is to provide reliable electric service to the Town of Hingham while keeping rates reasonable, service quality high and operations environmentally sustainable, including a commitment to 100 percent carbon-free energy.