Acushnet to Fall River Reliability Project to enhance system reliability and address the demand for electricity

The Acushnet to Fall River Reliability Project is one of several planned infrastructure upgrades in southeastern Massachusetts needed to support the growing transmission needs of the area well into the future.

The Acushnet to Fall River Reliability Project is a joint project between National Grid and Eversource.

The proposed overhead, approximately 12.1-mile, 115 kilovolt (kV) transmission line, will be constructed in an existing transmission right-of-way, with approximately 7.9 miles located in Acushnet, Dartmouth and New Bedford, MA (Eversource Energy) and approximately 4.2 miles in Fall River, MA (National Grid). The new line begins at the Industrial Park Tap in Acushnet, MA and terminates at the Bell Rock Substation in Fall River, MA.

National Grid and Eversource filed an application with the Energy Facilities Siting Board and the Department of Public Utilities in December of 2021 to seek approval for this upcoming Project.

The Siting Board conducted a remote public comment hearing regarding the Project using Zoom video conferencing April 25, 2022.

Construction will begin in late 2025, and the project will be placed in service in late 2026.

An open house is taking place on October 20, 2025, from 5:30-7:30 PM at the Fall River Public Library, 104 N Main Street. The Open house will provide information about the project including a project overview, anticipated activities and schedule. Team members from Engineering, Construction planning, Environmental, Forestry and Real estate departments will be present to answer questions and meet residents.

The Acushnet to Fall River Reliability Project and other planned electrical infrastructure upgrades will meet the growing transmission needs of the South Coast area and will result in additional tax revenue to the City of Fall River beginning the first year after the new transmission line is in service.

To learn more about the Eversource portion of this project, visit their Acushnet to Fall River Reliability Project webpage.