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Ipswich ELD outlines substation overhaul and $15 million preliminary estimate for High Street project
Summary
The Ipswich Electric Light Department presented plans to replace aging substations and modernize the grid, including a preliminary $15 million estimate for a new High Street indoor substation; staff said the estimate is preliminary and refinements will follow engineering and design work.
Dylan Lewellyn, the Electric Light Department (ELD) manager, told the Select Board and ELD Subcommittee on May 11 that the department is prioritizing capital work to improve reliability, resiliency and safety across the town's distribution system. He said planned upgrades include substation replacements, cybersecurity and physical-protection improvements, and distribution projects such as pole replacements and reconductoring.
Among the projects discussed, Lewellyn described the High Street Substation as "beyond its intended lifespan" and said replacing it with a new indoor substation would improve operational flexibility, worker safety and the ELD's ability to support future load growth. He reported a current, preliminary cost estimate of about $15 million, but emphasized the figure could change significantly as engineering and design work progresses and that more refined cost estimates and timelines will be developed.
Dylan and Electric Operations Manager Anthony Calascibetta reviewed planned upgrades at the Fowler's Lane Substation intended to increase redundancy and reduce outage impacts. The managers also described distribution-level improvements already underway or planned, including additional sectionalizing (tie points), pole replacements and reconductoring to minimize outage scope and speed restoration during storms.
Committee members pressed staff on longer-term generation strategy and site options. Ken Swenson and William (Bill) Craft asked whether the former landfill might be suitable for a solar installation; Lewellyn said a site review would be needed to determine contamination risk and feasibility. Lewellyn said the ELD currently does not have a formal long-term generation expansion plan and that options such as additional solar should continue to be evaluated.
On operational questions, Sarah Player asked whether the planned upgrades would enable the ELD to reroute power during failures to reduce affected customers; Lewellyn responded that the projects aim to increase redundancy and operational flexibility to do precisely that. Board members asked when final cost estimates will be available; Lewellyn and staff said those numbers will depend on upcoming engineering and design work and on decisions about borrowing timelines.
The department also discussed cybersecurity and physical-security improvements for substations and related infrastructure, and how upgrades could support future battery storage projects. No formal votes or funding commitments were taken at the meeting; staff committed to returning with refined cost estimates, timelines and additional project details.
