Crystal Spring Extension Project

Section 72 Transmission Line Petition. On behalf of NSTAR Electric Company d/b/a Eversource Energy for approval to construct, operate and maintain a new transmission line in Acushnet and Mattapoisett pursuant to G.L. c. 164, § 72 and for individual and comprehensive zoning exemptions pursuant to G.L. c. 40A, § 3.

Table of Contents

Public Comment Hearing

The Department will conduct a public comment hearing with both in-person and remote participation options: 6:30 P.M., Thursday, September 26, 2024
In-person hearing location: Old Rochester Regional High School Auditorium, 135 Marion Rd, Mattapoisett, MA 02739.

Remote attendees: join by clicking (or entering) this link: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/83515775880 from a computer, tablet, or smart device. For audio-only participation, attendees can dial in at (646) 558-8656 (not a toll-free number)] and then enter the Webinar ID: 83515775880.

Simultaneous Portuguese interpretation will be provided.

To provide oral comments during the public comment hearing (in person or on Zoom), please send an email to Yonathan.Mengesha@mass.gov with your name, email address, and mailing address by noon September 25, 2024. To provide comments by telephone, please leave a voicemail message referencing “D.P.U. 24-93/24-94” at (617) 305-3544 with your name, telephone number, and mailing address by noon September 25, 2024. Pre-registered commenters will speak first, and other commenters afterward.

The Department also invites written comments on the Petition. Written comments will be most useful to the Department if submitted by Thursday, October 10, 2024.

At the public comment hearing, the Company will present an overview of the Project. Public officials and members of the public will have an opportunity to ask questions and make comments about the Project. The public comment hearing will be transcribed by a court reporter. A recording of the public comment hearing will be posted to the Department’s YouTube channel after the hearing, at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCklPj6xxSKwwKr26lEZVTA

Simultaneous English-to-Portuguese interpretation will be provided. All attendees should select their preferred language to hear the Interpreter translate into that language. Press the globe icon and then choose the desired language. 

The Department will review the Petition to determine (1) whether the Project is necessary, serves the public convenience, and is consistent with the public interest under G.L. c. 164, § 72; and (2) whether the zoning exemptions should be granted, and if the proposed use of the Parcel is reasonably necessary for the convenience or welfare of the public, pursuant to G.L. c. 40A, § 3.

The full notice is avilable in English, & Portuguese.

Intervention and Participation
Persons or groups who wish to be involved in the Department proceeding, beyond providing comments at the public comment hearing or submitting written comments, may seek either to intervene as a party or to participate as a limited participant. A petition to intervene or participate must be filed no later than Thursday, October 10, 2024, and follow the instructions provided below in Filing Instructions.

“Intervenor” of “Party” Status: An intervenor can participate fully in the evidentiary phase of the proceeding, including the right to participate in evidentiary hearings, file a brief, and appeal the final order.

“Limited participant” status: A limited participant receives documents during the proceeding and may file a brief.
A petition to intervene must demonstrate that the petitioner may be substantially and specifically affected by this proceeding. See below for filing instructions.

 For additional information on the Department’s procedural rules, please see the following link: https://www.mass.gov/how-to/file-a-petition-to-intervene-in-an-efsb-or-dpu-siting-case.

Filing Instructions

Written comments on the Project, or a petition to intervene or participate as a limited participant in this proceeding, must be filed in two places: 

First, the petition to intervene or participate, and comments, must be filed with the Department in electronic format, by email or email attachment to dpu.efiling@mass.gov; AND to donna.sharkey@mass.gov no later than the close of business on October 10, 2024. The text of the e-mail must specify: (1) the docket number of the proceeding (D.P.U. 24-93/24-94); (2) the name of the person or entity submitting the filing; and (3) a brief description of the document. The electronic filing should also include the name, title, and telephone number of a person to contact in the event of questions about the filing. 

Second, the petition or comments must be sent electronically to counsel for the Company, Catherine J. Keuthen, Esq., Keegan Werlin LLP, 99 High Street, Suite 2900, Boston, MA 02110, ckeuthen@keeganwerlin.com.

Project Information

The New Line Extension is approximately three miles in length and extends easterly on existing Eversource ROW 142 from the Mendall Road Tap in Acushnet to the Crystal Spring Substation in Mattapoisett. The New Line Extension will span Mendall Road in Acushnet and Long Plain Road, Tinkham Lane, Crystal Spring Road and an access drive extending from Hereford Hill Road to a municipal pumping station in Mattapoisett.

The New Line Extension will be a single circuit installed on approximately 26 new weathering steel structures consisting predominantly of H-frame structures. One three-pole structure and a single monopole will replace the existing H-frame structures outside of Crystal Spring Substation. For its entire length, the New Line Extension will parallel Line 114, an existing 115 kV transmission line located on ROW 142.

The existing fenced area of the Crystal Spring Substation is 8,300 square feet. To accommodate the New Line Extension, the Substation will be expanded by approximately 36,700 square feet, resulting in a Substation footprint of approximately 45,000 square feet.

The following equipment will be installed inside the expanded fence line of the Substation: two 115 kV dead-end A-frame structures, 65 feet high; six 115 kV transformers; one 115 kV bus section; a chain-link fence; control cable, grounding, 115 kV leads and taps; two 115 kV circuit switchers; two 37/50/62.5 MVA, 115/13.2 kV transformers (one of which replaces the existing transformer); two enclosed 13.2 kV series reactors; two 150 kVA station service transformers; underground connections; one medium voltage switchgear enclosure; one 115 kV disconnect switch and two 115 kV line disconnect switches; two 13.2 kV capacitor banks; and four shielding masts, each 65 feet in height.

The Company states that the Project is needed for the Company to maintain a reliable electric power system and to enable distributed generation facilities to safely interconnect and operate.

Public Review of Company's Petitions

In addition, electronic copies of the Petition and attachments have been provided to the Town Clerks of the Towns of Acushnet and Mattapoisett.  The Company also maintains a webpage for the Project: https://www.eversource.com/content/residential/about/transmission-distribution/projects/massachusetts-projects/der-projects/marion-fairhaven/line-112-crystal-spring

Hard copies of the Company’s petitions, including all attachments, are available for public inspection at the following locations:

  • Department of Public Utilities, One South Station, 3rd floor, Boston, MA 02110
  • Town Clerk, Town of Mattapoisett, 16 Main St, Mattapoisett, MA 02739
  • Town Clerk, Town of Acushnet, 22 Main St, Acushnet, MA 02743
  • Mattapoisett Library, 7 Barstow St, Mattapoisett, MA 02739
  • Acushnet Public Library, 232 Middle Rd, Acushnet, MA 02743
Eversource Line 112 Extension Project

The figure above shows the route for the New Line Extension and the location of the Crystal Spring Substation.

Crystal Spring Substation & Expansion

The figure above shows the footprints of the existing Crystal Spring Substation and the Substation Expansion.

Accommodation Requests

Reasonable accommodations for people with disabilities (e.g., Braille, large print, electronic files, audio format) are available upon request.  To submit a request for an accommodation, please email ADA Coordinator Melixza Esenyie, eeadiversity@mass.gov, 617-626-1282. In your communication, please include a description of the request in as much detail as possible and a way we can contact you if we need more information. Please allow at least one week (7 days) advance notice. Last minute requests will be accepted but we may be unable to fulfill the request.

Portuguese interpretation services will be provided for the public comment hearing.  Additional interpretation services are available upon request.  Include in your request the language required and a way to contact you if we need more information.  Requests may be made by September 19, 2024.  It may not be possible to accommodate last-minute requests.  Contact the Hearing Officer (contact information below).

Non-Discrimination Notice

The Department complies with applicable state and federal civil rights laws and does not discriminate on the basis of sex, race, color, religion, creed, national origin (including limited English proficiency), gender identity, income, class, disability, age, sexual orientation, ethnicity, genetic information, ancestry, or status as a veteran.  The Department does not exclude people or treat them differently because of sex, race, color, religion, creed, national origin (including limited English proficiency), gender identity, income, class, disability, age, sexual orientation, ethnicity, genetic information, ancestry, or status as a veteran.  See the Department’s Non-Discrimination Notice at:  https://www.mass.gov/info-details/massachusetts-dpu-non-discrimination-notice.

If you have any questions about this notice or any of the Department’s non-discrimination programs, policies or procedures, you may contact:

Melixza G. Esenyie

Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs

100 Cambridge Street 

Boston, MA  02114

617-626-1282

eeadiversity@mass.gov

If you believe that you have been discriminated against with respect to a Department program or activity, you may contact Melixza G. Esenyie, Non-Discrimination Coordinator, identified above, to learn how and where to file a complaint of discrimination.

Contact

For further information about the proceeding, please contact the Hearing Officer at the address or telephone number below:

Donna Sharkey, Hearing Officer
Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities
One South Station
Boston, MA 02110
617-305-3625
donna.sharkey@mass.gov

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