Community Outlook 2021: Eversource promises safety as it takes over for Columbia Gas

Feb. 22, 2021 | Chris Maza
cmaza@thereminder.com

WESTERN MASS. – Having taken over natural gas services in Massachusetts in 2020, Eversource says it is now in the process of assessing the entire delivery system in order to determine the most effective ways to implement upgrades to improve safety and efficient delivery.

Eversource completed its acquisition of the assets of Columbia Gas of Massachusetts in a $1.1 billion deal in October 2020 as part of an order by a federal judge following the 2018 gas explosions in Lawrence, Andover and North Andover that destroyed dozens of homes and killed one person. Columbia Gas was also ordered to pay $56 million in damages.

Mark Gunsalus, general manager of gas operations for Eversource Energy, explained to Reminder Publishing that the statewide assessment has begun to review the system’s safety, including infrastructure and procedures, among other aspects. With that information, Eversource would be able to develop a comprehensive plan for replacement of existing pipes that are out of date as well as strategic upgrades and projects.

“As part of the CMA settlement agreement, there is a component that we will be completing a safety assessment of the system,” he said. “That safety assessment is just starting to be developed and looked at. It will be submitted in September of 2021 and that safety assessment is going to look at a lot of different components on the system.”

When asked how Eversource could prevent incidents like the Merrimack Valley explosions or the 2012 gas explosion in downtown Springfield, Gunsalus said the company would utilize multi-faceted approach that includes improved procedures for investigations as well as better and consistent employee training. He added it was important to focus on proper calibration of equipment and location of facilities.

Among the projects Columbia Gas had proposed before the sale was a reliability project in concert with Tennessee Gas Pipeline, which included a proposed compressor station enhancement and two-mile loop pipeline in Agawam as well as the installation of a gas metering station in Longmeadow. Eversource said it was reviewing those proposals.

In addition to the overall review, Eversource has plans to replace 20 miles of leak-prone pipe and 2,442 services in 2021 as part of the Gas Safety Enhancement Program (GSEP) required by the state.

“Internally, we have a whole bunch of tools that track age, size, condition, material, service condition – all these different criteria and we put those into a ranking and we go after them based on that ranking,” Gunsalus explained.

With a  four-tier rating system, Eversource’s 2021 improvement strategy, the first two phases will prioritize emergencies and priority pipe replacement, followed by mandated maintenance projects and some business development work, among other projects. Phase three includes new construction work while the final phase focuses on new projects.

Eversource has budgeted $74 million to GSEP-related projects this year, according to state filings that Gunsalus confirmed.

The result of these expenditures would be a 2.6 percent increase in billing this year.

“The average residential bill will see about a $3.10 monthly increase,”?Gunsalus said.

Gunsalus also admitted the coronavirus pandemic put some the company’s 2020 projects in a bind and crews are in the process of making their way through those. How much the backlog and ongoing health crisis would impact the company’s 2021 plans remains to be seen.

“It has impeded the schedule and there are backlogs we are working on,” he said. “[In 2021], we are watching closely to what happens with the pandemic.”

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