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Clone of Mejoras en las subestaciones

Lunenburg está creciendo y es necesario contar con infraestructuras nuevas para respaldar esa expansión. Unitil se encuentra en las etapas preliminares de planificación de dos proyectos independientes de subestaciones en Lunenburg, Massachusetts.

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¿Qué son las subestaciones?

No es una enorme torre metálica de escalada para niños. Las subestaciones son importantes centros de infraestructura eléctrica donde se «baja» la tensión de la electricidad desde las líneas de transmisión o subtransmisión entrantes hasta los postes y cableados que vemos en los vecindarios.

¿Por qué se deben hacer mejoras?

Una vez finalizadas, los residentes de Lunenburg se beneficiarán directamente de estos proyectos gracias al aumento de la capacidad de carga eléctrica, la fiabilidad general y la capacidad del sistema para interconectar la generación renovable. Estas medidas también van mano a mano con el Plan de modernización del sector eléctrico (ESMP) de Unitil, diseñado para definir proactivamente la interconexión de los recursos energéticos distribuidos, identificados en la estrategia de descarbonización de la Mancomunidad de Massachusetts.

Recientemente llevamos a cabo sesiones de información pública para dar a conocer estos proyectos a los residentes de Lunenburg y recabar opiniones. Vea las grabaciones.

#2: La construcción de algo nuevo

Después de mejorar la subestación actual, tenemos previsto construir una subestación totalmente nueva en el sureste de Lunenburg.
Esta fase está prevista provisionalmente entre 2027 y 2029*.

During the pilot, participating customers will transition from gas to all-electric service with support from Unitil, including converting heating systems to heat pumps, gas hot water to electric hot water, and cooking and clothes drying to electric appliances.

Unitil will coordinate with qualified contractors to assess each home and determine what upgrades are needed, ensuring safety and efficiency. 

This project will not affect reliability for non-participating customers.

Unitil is currently looking at a selected street in Fitchburg, Massachusetts for the pilot. The location of the pilot is pending regulatory and customer approval. Participation in the pilot is voluntary.
 
In evaluating potential locations for the pilot, Unitil considered non-essential segments of the gas system, meaning this main only provides service to these eight customers and is not required for the overall reliability of the system.

The current location would include eight customers.

The limited size ensures Unitil can coordinate contractors, scheduling, and customer support effectively while gathering meaningful insights into feasibility, cost, and operational challenges.

Costs associated with the pilot project will be included in rates for all electric customers. For a residential customer, we estimate this pilot will increase a typical residential bill by an average of $3.00 a year (25 cents/month) during the initial five-year period.

The total project cost is estimated to be approximately $500,000, including all system upgrades. Homes may require additional improvements such as electrical panel and wiring upgrades and weatherization improvements to support electrification. Final estimated project costs and bill impacts will be included in the DPU filing.

Regulatory Approval

Subject to Department of Public Utilities Oversight

As required by the DPU, Unitil plans to file the pilot proposal in early March. The Department will review the proposal to ensure the pilot meets all regulatory requirements. Regulatory review could take several months, and the pilot would begin only after approval is received.