Last week, the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities (MA DPU) approved National Grid’s Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) proposal. The order issued by the MA DPU will allow National Grid to begin installing AMI meters at customer sites as early as 2024. E3 has supported National Grid with its AMI filings since 2018, including both a business case and benefit-cost analysis included in the filing approved by the state.
National Grid’s AMI proposal to the MA DPU included more than $487 million in grid modernization expenses. Of those expenses, National Grid dedicated $273 million to AMI electric meter equipment, which includes the replacement of 1.4 million outdated AMR meters with more advanced meters. These upgrades will help National Grid achieve its clean energy goals and improve customer service by enabling new rate structures, empowering customers with near real-time usage information, increasing demand response opportunities, reducing outage response time, and improving distribution system visibility.
E3’s support to National Grid has included developing and progressing their Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) and Grid Modernization Plan (GMP) filings in New York, Rhode Island, and most recently in Massachusetts. In addition to both a detailed business case and benefit-cost analysis for the meter installations, E3 worked with National Grid’s AMI team to engage internal stakeholders in the development of the filings and to coordinate filing approaches with Eversource Energy’s Massachusetts team. E3 also worked with National Grid to align the proposed Massachusetts AMI implementation timeline with National Grid’s approved New York AMI implementation plan to maximize the cost savings of codeployment.
E3’s Andrew DeBenedictis, Tara Katamay-Smith, and John Leana contributed to this project.
