UPDATE: Details on Eversource's Proposed Power Substation in Central Greenwich

Update: 1:46 p.m.

The new power substation that’s being proposed by Eversource (the former Connecticut Light & Power) would be located at 290 Railroad Ave. — on the property where Pet Pantry is now located.

Eversource has owned the property since the 1970s, according to utility spokesman Frank Poirot. The location was selected because of its proximity to the source of the most electrical demand in the area, Poirot said.

The public open house utility officials will host at Greenwich Town Hall next week is the first step in the application process that would seek approval from the Connecticut Siting Council.

The new substation will be similar in size to the Cos Cob bulk substation, Poirot said. However, the Railroad Avenue facility will be enclosed and more compact than the open-air facility like the Cos Cob station on Sound Shore Road. The utility also is proposing to lie two underground transmission lines connecting the new substation and the Cos Cob station, although the exact route for the two-mile long lines has not been determined, Poirot said.

The new substation will be needed because the Cos Cob station will be “very close to capacity” in 2017, Poirot said.

The timetable: Eversource hopes to receive state approval in the second quarter of 2016; begin construction in August of 2016, with an estimated completion of December 2017.

The existing substation at the corner of Railroad Avenue and Prospect Street will continue to operate after completion of the new substation, Poirot said.

For details on the project, connect to this utility link.

Original story: 1:05 p.m.

To meet energy demands in Greenwich, Eversource (the former Connecticut Light & Power) is proposing to build a new substation and install two underground transmission lines in town.

The proposed substation, to be built on Railroad Avenue, would improve system reliability and provide a long-term solution to the community’s growing energy needs, the company said in a statement Tuesday.

The project would “ensure the continued, reliable flow of power to where it’s most needed,” the company said.

Until December, the utility operated offices at its Railroad Avenue facility that lies between Field Point Road and Prospect Street. The site already has a substation on it.

Last fall, town officials said the utility was looking to expand its substation in that area. The underground transmission lines would link the new substation and a substation in Cos Cob, according to the map provided by Eversource.

Eversource is hosting a public open house for residents from 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, March 3, at Greenwich Town Hall.

Project team members will be on hand to explain the proposal and its siting approval process, and respond to any questions or concerns.

A utility spokesman was not immediately available for comment Tuesday.

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Map credit: Eversource. Photo credit: Google maps.