This sounds very interesting – here’s an edited press release from Eversource:
Eversource, along with representatives from BXP, community partners and state and local officials, today broke ground on construction of the Greater Cambridge Energy Program (GCEP), a first-of-its-kind transmission initiative. …
Innovatively designed to place a significant amount of needed infrastructure underground, GCEP includes Eversource’s first underground substation — the largest in the country at 35,000 square feet. The substation will be located 105 feet underground beneath new public green space between Broadway and Binney Street and integrated into BXP’s Life Sciences Center at the former Kendall Center Blue Garage site. As energy demand continues to increase in Cambridge and surrounding areas, the output from GCEP’s underground substation enables far-reaching electrification of heating systems in the city, providing capacity to address 100% of residential heating electrification as well as the ability to displace 50% of the commercial sector’s gas demand through electrification.
As part of GCEP, Eversource will also construct eight new 115 kV underground transmission lines spanning 8.3 miles through portions of Cambridge, Somerville, and Boston. Additional work includes upgrades to five substations, or clean energy hubs, in Cambridge, Somerville, and Allston/Brighton, and the construction of 48 new distribution lines.
Eversource anticipates to begin putting GCEP into service in 2029 with the energization of the substation and the first transmission line. As construction proceeds, the energy company expects that the remaining transmission lines will be put into service through 2031. Throughout the duration of the project, approximately 500 full-time jobs will be supported.
More information about the Greater Cambridge Energy Program is available here, and the livestream of the groundbreaking celebration is available to watch on Eversource’s MA Facebook page.
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