Asset-condition project costs in New England have grown by $95 million since March, according to an update to the project list presented by the region’s transmission owners at the ISO-NE Planning Advisory Committee on June 16.  

The database includes both in-development and in-service asset-condition projects, which aim to upgrade aging and deteriorating transmission infrastructure. 

The change in cost since March, driven by 20 new projects estimated to be about $84 million, is relatively small compared to overall asset-condition spending in the region. It brings the total cost of in-development projects to about $5.9 billion, while the cost of in-service projects totals about $5.5 billion. 

While stakeholders broadly agree that many of the upgrades are necessary, ACP spending has become a major issue for states and consumer advocates in recent years because of concerns about rising costs and a lack of transparency and regulatory oversight on the projects. Asset-condition projects are under FERC’s jurisdiction, with costs typically recovered through formula rates. 

At the urging of the states, ISO-NE has said it is open to taking on an “asset condition reviewer” role to help address the “informational asymmetry” between TOs and the public. The RTO has stressed that this role must not include regulatory responsibilities. (See ISO-NE Open to Asset Condition Review Role amid Rising Costs.)  

Eversource Energy has already paused stakeholder discussions on a massive, multiphase underground cable replacement project to allow time for ISO-NE review and feedback. The company wrote in May that the first phase of the project is estimated to cost between $2 billion and $3 billion. (See Eversource Outlines Billions in New Boston-area Asset-condition Needs.) 

Also at the PAC on June 16, Eversource introduced a project to replace structures on three lines in New Hampshire near the Maine border. Eversource said it has identified wood pole decay on the lines and proposed to replace all remaining wood structures on the lines at a combined cost of about $52 million. 

The company also presented a $6 million asset-condition project to replace a pair of breakers on a substation in Springfield, Mass., that are “approaching the end of their useful life and have shown signs of deterioration.” 

National Grid introduced an $11 million project on a line in Eastern Massachusetts, proposing to replace damaged shield wire, attachment hardware and insulation, and repair the foundations of four river-crossing towers.