By JOSEPH FITZGERALD

The towns of North Smithfield and Burrillville will see transmission system upgrades, including a line of new poles and wires, as part of two proposed National Grid projects designed to strengthen the region’s electric grid.

As part of the first project — the Interstate Reliability Project —National Grid wants to add a new 345-kilovolt transmission line to strengthen the interstate transfer of electricity between Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut, and enhance the performance of the high voltage transmission network that serves the region.
The proposed line will begin in Millbury, Mass., and travel along Route 146 into North Smithfield. It will then travel west to Burrillville and into Connecticut where it will connect to a Northeast Utilities line. The new transmission line will be located in an existing electric utility right-of-way, which is currently occupied by one or more transmission lines.
The second project is called the Rhode Island Reliability Project. For that project, National Grid wants to build a new 345-kilovolt transmission line to help strengthen the reliability of Rhode Island’s electric system. That line will begin in North Smithfield and travel along Route 295 through Smithfield, Johnston, Cranston, West Warwick and Warwick. To make room for the new 345 kV line, the utility is proposing to reconfigure the lines that presently exist in this corridor.
Construction for both projects will begin in 2010. National Grid is preparing site plans and applications and has finalized detailed engineering designs. National grid is also soliciting public comment on the projects.
“The intent of the projects is to improve reliability in the delivery of electricity where it’s needed on the hottest or coldest days of the year — even if one or more power plants or segments of transmission line are not operating,” explained Ron Gillooly, National Grid community relations manager.
According to Gillooly, the need for upgrades was identified in a transmission study of southern New England conducted by ISO New England Inc., and followup studies conducted by National Grid and Northeast Utilities and the ISO. ISO New England is an independent, non-profit organization that plans and operates New England’s bulk electric system, administers the region’s wholesale electricity markets and oversees regional system planning. National Grid and Northeast Utilities are companies that own and operate portions of the region’s electric transmission system.
“Although utility companies, businesses and homeowners have made significant efforts to conserve electricity for many years, electricity usage continues to rise across New England, particularly on the hottest days when demand for electricity is the highest,” Gillooly said.
For example, during the afternoon of Aug. 2, 2006, as temperatures across the region soared to 100 degrees, New England set an all time record for electricity use of 28,127 megawatts.
“This record peak demand was almost double the peak experienced in 1980 of 14,539 megawatts,” Gillooly said.
Transmission lines are the bulk delivery wires of the electric system. They are the pathways to deliver large amounts of power from generating plants to geographic areas that need it. Electricity is converted to lower voltages at substations. Distribution lines — the ones that are seen on local streets — deliver electricity directly to homes and businesses.
According to Gillooly, transmission studies and projects are taking place throughout New England and many improvements to maintain reliable electric service are underway.
“Much of New England’s transmission system was constructed in the 1960s and early 1970s. Demands on this system have more than doubled since it was built, yet the system must still deliver power to customers when and where it’s needed,” he said.
During times of peak electric use, which occur during hot weather, when one or more power plants or pieces of the transmission system are not operating, the Rhode Island transmission system could experience problems that may necessitate shutting off power to a considerable number of customers, Gillooly said. As the demand for electricity grows the potential for these situations to occur becomes greater.
The Rhode Island Reliability Project, he said, will reinforce the transmission system in Rhode Island so that electricity can be reliably delivered throughout the region now and into the future.