National Grid Develops Innovative Solution for an Island Community’s Unique Energy Challenges

Large-Scale Battery Energy Storage System on Nantucket Will Provide
Back-Up Power and Additional Supply

WALTHAM, Mass.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–#batterystorage–National Grid, a leader in developing innovative energy solutions to
meet customer and community needs, will install a 48 megawatt-hour
battery energy storage system, or BESS, on the island of Nantucket, 30
miles off the Massachusetts coast, to help address some unique energy
challenges.

Nantucket has been experiencing significant growth and demand for
electricity, both of which are expected to continue for the foreseeable
future. The island’s electricity is supplied via two submarine cables
that connect with the mainland transmission system on Cape Cod. In the
event of a failure on one of the cables, two six-megawatt diesel
generators are available to provide partial back-up power. The diesel
generators are reaching the end of their useful life and need to be
replaced. Additionally, given the growth forecast, the island’s
emergency electricity back-up system needs to be expanded, and a third
submarine cable likely will be needed in about 12 years.

National Grid explored several options to address these infrastructure
needs and the ever-increasing on-island demand for electricity, and came
up with a unique solution: the BESS and a new diesel generator that
together can supply the island in the event of a cable failure. National
Grid expects that with the BESS, the need for a third cable can be
delayed for 15 to 20 years beyond the current 12-year forecast. The BESS
will be six megawatts with an eight-hour duration, which is also
described as a 48 megawatt-hour system, and is being provided by Tesla.

“The BESS provides a very efficient and effective solution to two major
energy challenges facing the island,” said Rudy Wynter, president and
COO of National Grid’s FERC-regulated Businesses. “Our customers,
communities, and policymakers look to us to deliver innovative solutions
like this to help advance our clean energy future.”

“The Town of Nantucket commends National Grid’s decision to deploy an
innovative energy storage solution on the island,” said Town of
Nantucket Energy Coordinator Lauren Sinatra. “We are confident that the
proposed project, combined with targeted energy-saving programs and
other planned electric infrastructure upgrades, will play a
transformational role in meeting Nantucket’s near- and long-term energy
needs.”

The BESS is the latest of several National Grid battery systems that are
up and running or being planned. The company also has roughly 30 energy
innovation pilots underway across the three states it serves, including
microgrids, smart grids, community solar projects, geothermal heating
and cooling, and distributed energy installations that unlock value for
National Grid’s customers and communities, accelerating progress toward
a sustainable future.

About National Grid
National Grid (LSE: NG; NYSE: NGG) is an
electricity, natural gas, and clean energy delivery company that
supplies the energy for more than 20 million people through its networks
in New York, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island. It is the largest
distributor of natural gas in the Northeast. National Grid also operates
the systems that deliver gas and electricity across Great Britain.

National Grid is transforming its electricity and natural gas networks
to support the 21st century digital economy with smarter, cleaner, and
more resilient energy solutions. Read more about the innovative projects
happening across our footprint in The
Democratization of Energy, an eBook written by National Grid’s US
president, Dean Seavers.

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Contacts

National Grid
Jackie Barry, 781-907-1754