Eversource details decade of upgrades for Cambridge grid, unveils underground substation timetable and AMI rollout

Eversource told the Cambridge Health and Environment Committee that projected electrification will shift system demand and requires both near‑term operational measures and longer‑lead capital projects, including an underground substation in Cambridge and phased transmission and distribution upgrades.

Jason Wright, community relations at Eversource, opened the utility presentation and introduced a team that included Juan Martinez, director of system planning, Sofia Zhang, lead data scientist, Rick Branca from project engagement and Catherine Hori from distribution engineering. Martinez said the Electric Sector Modernization Plan (ESMP) translates state greenhouse‑gas targets into capacity needs: “as you electrify the system, right, we churn from a summer peaking system basically to a winter peaking system,” he said, noting that the crossover is projected between about 2033 and 2035.

Forecasting and local drivers: Sofia Zhang described a two‑track forecasting process that blends ISO/Massachusetts clean‑energy pathways with bottom‑up customer inputs from developers and account executives. The utility reported that Metro Boston demand could grow roughly 20% over the next ten years, driven…