Nantucket Study Overview

Nantucket’s energy landscape has shifted dramatically over the last two decades, with summer peak demand growing by 62 percent since 2003 and winter peak demand growing by 55 percent since 2002. Forecasts further indicate the island will transition to peak demand in winter 2050, with demand projected to hit 113 MW.

To better understand and address these challenges, National Grid has launched a study that aims to evaluate current infrastructure – including submarine cables, substations, and battery storage – to create a roadmap that ensures a reliable and affordable power supply for the Island through the year 2080.

Over the next 18 to 24 months, our team will be analyzing a variety of solutions, including exploring new locations for substation capacity outside of the downtown core, replacing aging cables, and implementing “non-wire” alternatives to improve efficiency. We aren’t just looking at traditional hardware; we are investigating how a holistic mix of electric system infrastructure upgrades and modern technology can best serve the community’s evolving needs.

Community participation is essential to the success of this study. We are committed to an open process and will hold public information sessions where residents can review proposed solutions and share feedback. You can stay up to date on our progress or reach out with questions through this website, dedicated hotline, and email. We look forward to working together to build a more resilient and reliable electric grid for all of Nantucket.

Previously Completed IslandReady Nantucket Projects

Underground Work (Downtown)

Existing underground cable located downtown was upgraded – including the installation of new underground conduit and larger manholes – to improve reliability and decrease outages, and to meet increased capacity needs (complete October 2025)

L8 Feeder Complete

Installation of a new feeder (L8) will create increased capacity for the east side of Nantucket (Milestone Road area), improve switching ability on the Island’s distribution network, and reduce the potential for outages on other feeders, which serve critical facilities such as the hospital, airport, and wastewater treatment facility (Completed June 2020)

Back-up Generation & Battery Storage:

A new diesel-powered generator replaced two aging generators at National Grid’s Bunker Road facility (Completed Fall 2019)

A new Battery Energy Storage System was installed at Bunker Road to reduce loading on the cables (Completed Fall 2019)

Download IslandReady Fact Sheet (PDF)