November 19, 2024 By The Hingham Municipal Lighting Plant
The Hingham Municipal Lighting Plant (HMLP) reached a major milestone on Wednesday, November 13, 2024, when it filed a formal petition with the Massachusetts Energy Facilities Siting Board (EFSB) for approval to construct the Hingham Electrical Infrastructure Reliability Project (HEIRP). The filing of a petition sets in motion a period of intensive review by Massachusetts regulators as well as new opportunities in the coming months for public input.
The Project has three main components: 1) a 3.2-mile, 115-kilovolt underground transmission line to be constructed beneath public ways in Weymouth and Hingham; 2) a new substation at the Hingham Transfer Station off Hobart Street; and, 3) a new tap station in Weymouth that will be constructed, owned, and operated by Eversource.
The Project will provide Hingham with a critical second independent source of power and bring HMLP into compliance with regional reliability standards. Currently, Hingham’s entire electric supply is fed by two parallel overhead transmission lines or circuits, which occupy the same pole structures in a number of locations. If severe weather or another contingency causes one of these double-circuit poles to fall, all Hingham residents and businesses could be without power for an extended period of time. Moreover, if one of these existing lines is offline for periodic, scheduled maintenance and there is a contingency involving the other line, there could be an extended electricity outage in Hingham.
HMLP’s Petition to the EFSB is the culmination of a detailed and comprehensive review of options that has benefited significantly from public input. HMLP launched a separate website for the Project in October 2021 at https://heirp.com, and HMLP has held seven Open House events (some held jointly with Eversource) in Hingham and Weymouth over the last three years to invite the public to learn about the Project and provide feedback.
If the Project is approved by the EFSB, HMLP would have an additional independent power source to Hingham. This will enable HMLP to satisfy regional reliability standards and protect the citizens and businesses of Hingham from the possibility of extended outages caused by weather or other contingencies. Moreover, as Hingham continues to pursue greater electrification consistent with its climate goals, the Project will ensure adequate capacity for all customers and future uses.
As required by law, HMLP has provided the EFSB with two transmission line routes for consideration. HMLP’s Preferred Route, or the Broad Street Route, is an approximately 3.2-mile underground route primarily along public ways. It exits the proposed new substation at the transfer station in Hingham and runs west on Hobart Street, turns south on French Street, then turns west on High Street and continues west into Weymouth on High Street which becomes Broad Street at Commercial Street. Broad Street is then followed for approximately 9,300 feet until ending at the Weymouth tap station site located within a transmission corridor on land owned by Eversource near the Connell Skating Rink.
The Alternative Route, or the Lake Street Route, is an approximately 3.7-mile underground route that exits the proposed new substation in Hingham and runs west on Hobart Street, then turns south on French Street and turns west on High Street. The Alternative Route then continues west into Weymouth, continuing on High Street which becomes Broad Street. This route then turns south down Water Street, turning north on Pleasant Street, and travels west on Lake Street, and northwest on Essex Street, which transitions to Spring Street. The route turns west onto Broad Street and continues west on Broad Street to the Weymouth tap station site.
HMLP also has provided the EFSB with a Variation of its Alternative Route which follows the same route out of the new substation in Hingham to Broad Street in Weymouth. Then, instead of turning south down Water Street, the Variation follows Broad Street west and turns south on Shawmut Street and turns southwest onto Lake Street where it continues to follow the Noticed Alternative Route to the New Tap Station site in Weymouth.
The EFSB’s evidentiary process will address a wide range of issues including Project need; HMLP’s site and route selection processes; environmental and construction impacts of the Project and the best ways to mitigate any impacts; and the cost and reliability impacts of the Project. The EFSB also will compare the Broad Street Route (Preferred Route) and Lake Street Route (Alternative Route) and determine which is superior.
HMLP and Eversource also have petitioned for exemptions from the zoning ordinances of Hingham and Weymouth in order to build HMLP’s new substation in Hingham and Eversource’s new tap station in Weymouth. The EFSB will consider the request for zoning exemptions as part of its comprehensive review of the Project.
The Petition kicks off a new round of public scrutiny for the Project. The EFSB is an independent state board that reviews proposed large energy facilities including power plants, electric transmission lines, intra-state natural gas pipelines, and natural gas storage tanks. To obtain EFSB approval, HMLP must demonstrate that its proposed facilities would provide a reliable energy supply, with a minimum impact on the environment, at the lowest possible cost. After a period of initial review, the EFSB will schedule public comment hearings in Hingham and Weymouth, at which time HMLP will present its proposal and the public will be encouraged to provide feedback to the EFSB.
Electronic copies of the HMLP filings can be found at the HEIRP website at https://heirp.com.
While HMLP’s recent filings with the EFSB kick off a formal process where HMLP customers and others can provide comments at the EFSB’s public comment hearings or seek status as intervenors or limited participants in the EFSB’s adjudicatory process, residents and businesses in Hingham and Weymouth are still encouraged to ask questions and provide comments directly to HMLP at https://heirp.com/contact-us/
HMLP is one of just forty-one municipal light departments in Massachusetts. As a municipally-owned utility, HMLP is able to provide more personalized customer service and retain a workforce dedicated solely to the maintenance and repair of Hingham’s electricity infrastructure. HMLP focuses on ensuring reliable electric service while adopting cutting edge measures to address climate change and offering service at rates well below those charged by investor-owned utilities.