CONCORD, Mass. – The Connecticut Light and Power Company (CL&P), and the Narragansett Electrical Company and the New England Power Company (collectively “National Grid”) are seeking a joint permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New England District to conduct work in waters of the United States in conjunction with constructing new transmission lines and modifications and improvements to existing transmission lines and substation and switching facilities in northeast Connecticut, northwest Rhode Island and south-central Massachusetts.

CL&P and National Grid propose to fill (temporary and permanent) inland wetlands/waters in association with the construction, operation and maintenance of the Interstate Reliability Project. The project consists of approximately 75 miles of new overhead 345-kilovolt (kV) electric transmission lines, and related modifications and improvements to existing 345-kV and 115-kV transmission lines and substation and switching facilities in northeast Connecticut, northwest Rhode Island and south-central Massachusetts.

The new 345-kV transmission lines will be aligned adjacent to existing overhead 345-kV and other transmission lines and, for 98 percent of the 75-mile route, will be located within the companies’ existing utility rights-of-way (ROWs). The project is designed to address various electric reliability issues in southern New England.

Of the 75 miles of new 345-kV transmission lines, approximately 36.8 miles will be located in Connecticut; 22.5 miles will be located in Rhode Island; and 15.4 miles will be located in Massachusetts. The new transmission lines will extend across portions of 11 Connecticut towns (Lebanon, Columbia, Coventry, Mansfield, Chaplin, Hampton, Brooklyn, Pomfret, Killingly, Putnam, and Thompson); two Rhode Island towns (Burrillville and North Smithfield); and five Massachusetts towns (Millville, Uxbridge, Northbridge, Sutton, and Millbury). In Rhode Island, National Grid also will reconstruct and reconductor a 9.2 mile segment of existing 345-kV transmission line. In Rhode Island and Massachusetts, National Grid will remove existing steel lattice towers along an approximately 19-mile segment of ROW; these activities will occur primarily within the same ROWs as the new 345-kV transmission line.

As part of the project, CL&P will modify the existing Card Street Substation in the town of Lebanon and the Lake Road Switching Station in the town of Killingly. In Rhode Island, National Grid will reconstruct the Sherman Road Switching Station in the town of Burrillville on company property adjacent to the existing switching station site and will modify the West Farnum Substation in the town of North Smithfield. In Massachusetts, National Grid will perform modifications to the existing Millbury No. 3 Switching Station in the town of Millbury.

The application for the federal permit was filed by Connecticut Light and Power Company and National Grid with the Corps in compliance with Section 404 of the Clean Water Act, which regulates the discharge or fill of material in U.S. waters, including wetlands.

The public notice with more specifics on the proposed work can be viewed on the Corps website at  http://www.nae.usace.army.mil/Regulatory/Public%20Notices/.

Public comments on this proposal (file # NAE-2008-1671) should be forwarded no later than Nov. 16, 2012 to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New England District, Regulatory Division (ATTN: Susan Lee), 696 Virginia Road, Concord, MA 01742-2751. Additional information is available from Permit Project Manager Susan Lee at 978-318-8494 or toll free 800-343-4789 or 800-362-4367 (if calling from within Massachusetts) or by email to: susan.k.lee@usace.army.mil.