On Walnut Street in Naugatuck, signs are up and orange cones are in place, closing off a small section of the road while natural gas crews are busy at work. On this chilly November morning, a worker hoists plastic pipe onto his shoulder and brings it to a portion of the excavated road. It’s part of an upgrade project happening across roughly a quarter of a mile that will directly improve the reliability of Eversource’s natural gas delivery system for more than a dozen homes.
This type of work, which falls under Connecticut’s accelerated replacement program, is being done in various communities across the state to enhance safety and long-term reliability for a fuel source that thousands of people depend on, especially in the winter. Aging cast iron and bare steel mains are considered “leak prone,” which is why, for the last several years, replacing those pipes with high-density plastic mains has remained a top priority for Eversource. In many cases, the cast iron pipes being replaced are from the early 1900s.
“Cast iron and bare steel tend to leak; they become brittle over time. You go through freezing and thawing cycles, and it creates leaks and different issues that need constant maintenance,” said Eversource Gas Construction Supervisor Luke Soltesz. “We’re eliminating all of that when you go to a high-density plastic pipe. We eliminate that cracking, a lot of those leaking conditions, and customers we speak to are overwhelmingly happy to know these investments are happening.”
This upgrade creates long-term reliability because the plastic is more durable and will last for decades. Since 2018, Eversource has replaced nearly 200 miles of cast iron or bare steel pipe and has seen a 50 percent reduction in leaks. Investments in these critical projects have grown from $43 million in 2018 to a budgeted $150 million this year. The company expects to replace the remainder of the leak-prone pipes over the next five years at an accelerated pace and at an estimated cost of $900 million. This is a forward-thinking investment that will provide reliability for customers, and once paid for, it will continue to deliver benefits for decades beyond when it is recovered through rates.
The work to replace leak-prone pipes takes time, with the construction phase of a project typically running three to six months. Before construction begins, Eversource spends several months planning the project, working closely with a municipality and communicating with customers along the work zone so they are well informed about the project and know what to expect.
In Connecticut, customers continue to prefer gas service where it is available. Natural gas remains a primary heating source that many homes and businesses depend on, with more than 252,000 Eversource customers in 85 cities and towns, and upgrading aging infrastructure is critical to supporting that need.
“It’s important to do this work because we’re improving public safety, upgrading the infrastructure, eliminating leak-prone pipe, and we’re improving the reliability of the system,” said Soltesz. “We’re not just replacing the mains in the road but the service lines to the customers themselves, which includes their meters and meter materials.”
Additionally, replacing the leak-prone cast iron and bare steel pipe reduces carbon emissions. Since the program began in 2011, there’s been a 50 percent decrease in carbon dioxide equivalent emissions, and Eversource predicts a nearly 70 percent decrease in emissions by 2030.
“We have projects just like this happening all across Connecticut,” said Soltesz. “It benefits our natural gas customers to have a product that is reliable and a delivery system that doesn’t leak or create a hazard for the community and ensures long-term reliability.”
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