National Grid expands gas access in Cranston, East Providence

NATIONAL GRID IS expanding access to natural gas in select neighborhoods in Cranston and East Providence as part of a pilot project.
NATIONAL GRID IS expanding access to natural gas in select neighborhoods in Cranston and East Providence as part of a pilot project.

PROVIDENCE – National Grid has completed the installation of new natural gas mains and service lines in two Cranston neighborhoods, and will start work in neighborhoods in East Providence and the area of Cool Spring Drive in Cranston, as part of a project to expand natural gas distribution in select areas.
“Working with the Rhode Island Division of Public Utilities and Carriers and the Public Utilities Commission, we were able to develop a plan that has made access to our natural gas distribution system a reality through our pilot program,” Timothy F. Horan, president of National Grid in Rhode Island, said in a statement.
“This project is also an example of ‘Connect 21,’ National Grid’s initiative to address the energy challenges facing America. In this case, it means providing an energy source of customer choice and working with our regulators to make that happen,” Horan added.
Previously, consumer access to natural gas had been limited to those living near an existing natural gas distribution system.
Unless a prospective customer lived on a street where National Grid’s natural gas mains were already installed, that person was often left without the opportunity to bring natural gas into their home unless they were willing to shoulder the cost of installing new gas mains to reach their home.
When combined, construction and heating system conversion costs could run into tens of thousands of dollars. Over the past several years, as the number of conversions to natural gas grew, it became clear that a way needed to be found to respond to consumer demand for the fuel, according to information from National Grid.
Last year, the PUC agreed to a plan in which the majority of construction costs would be spread across the company’s entire Rhode Island rate base.
The company then surveyed residents in selected areas of the state to determine interest in the pilot program.
As a result, four neighborhoods were selected. Projects have been completed in the area of Cranston’s Courtland Lane and Mountain Laurel Drive. Work is underway in the Vista Drive neighborhood of Rumford in East Providence, and work is scheduled to begin soon in the area of Cool Spring Drive in Cranston.
Within the four projects, 70 service agreements have been signed with new customers. And within the boundaries of the four areas chosen for the pilot, there are 360 additional potential customers.
Approximately 22,000 feet of new gas main will have been installed when the four projects are completed.
Customers who signed on for the program pay an additional $150 above the $800 that all new customers on the existing distribution pay to have service installed.

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