Eversource to spend $50M on pipe replacement

Eversource Energy will spend $50 million this year in Connecticut to upgrade its natural gas distribution network in the state.

About 20 miles of existing cast iron pipes will be replaced by specialized plastic pipe that is more durable and better able to handle fluctuating underground temperatures throughout the year.

Mitch Gross, a spokesman for the Hartford-based utility, said the determination about the order in which distribution pipes are replaced is based upon annual system performance reviews.

“We look at a lot of factors,” Gross said. “Where a line is located and whether it is in a high traffic area or one that has seen a great deal of construction are some of the things we consider.”

Eversource has replaced nearly 120 miles of natural gas piping in the past six years. This year the work will be done in the following towns: Meriden, Middletown, Putnam, New London, Stamford and Wallingford.

Natural gas pipeline upgrades in Middletown just got underway on Fountain Avenue and Cross Street. The Middletown work will be done Monday through Saturday from 7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Work is also scheduled later this year for North Main Street, Dutton Street and Miller Street in Wallingford, Gross said. All of the work scheduled for this year is expected to be completed by November, he said.

Bill Akley, president of gas operations at Eversource, said safety “is the most important service we can provide our customers.” The utility has 226,000 customers in 72 communities in Connecticut.

The replacement of natural gas lines is in addition to Eversource’s ongoing expansion of its distribution network into areas not currently served by natural gas.