Battery power: Outer Cape backup energy source is fully operational

PROVINCETOWN — Keeping the power on when fierce Atlantic storms buffet the Outer Cape, or when there are interruptions due to other causes, will be easier now that the Provincetown Battery Energy Storage System is officially on the job.

On Monday, representatives from Eversource, along with town and state leaders that included Provincetown Town Manager Alex Morse, state Sen. Julian Cyr and state Rep. Sarah Peake, joined to mark the completion of the project with a ribbon-cutting and tour of the battery at the Provincetown Transfer Station on Race Point Road. It was a pivotal moment for the power company, as well as its customers.

"It's been several years since we developed the project," said Craig Hallstrom, Eversource's president of operations.

Eversource started planning the battery system in 2017. The battery is described by Eversource as "an innovative solution to provide backup power to more than 10,000 customers on the Outer Cape in the event of an outage."

Hallstrom said the need for a backup power source has been a pressing one for the Outer Cape, where the redundancies present in other areas of the power grid are absent. It is an area, he said, "where the infrastructure is single-source from Provincetown to Wellfleet." There is a single transmission line, he said, that provides power to about 10,000 customers — the line is known as circuit 96.

Provincetown battery system is the 'first in the nation'

The project is something of a trailblazer in the nation, Hallstrom said.

"This is really the first in the nation for the size," he said, adding it can serve as a model for other locations.

The $49 million project comprises lithium-ion battery units in a new 8,000-square-foot building at the town transfer station and new circuitry for the loop of power lines just in Provincetown. The 25-megawatt energy storage system is aimed at increasing the reliability of electric power in Provincetown, Truro, Wellfleet and Eastham, according to Eversource.

More:Eversource backup battery project nears completion as memory of blizzard outage lingers

"We have the battery and it's connected to the power grid," Hallstrom said. "The power grid charges the battery, so when the power goes out, the battery takes over."

There are devices all along circuit 96 constantly monitoring the line for interruptions, he said. When there is a problem, the battery will kick in to provide immediate backup power to customers beyond the problem point. Hallstrom said energy will also continue to flow "up to the point where the problem is.

"In most cases, it gives us enough time to get a crew to the problem," he said.

The battery can provide up to three hours of power during peak summer conditions, and up to 10 hours in non-peak conditions.

Outer Cape's single power line vulnerable to storms, strong winds

In the past, circuit 96 has been problematic for Eversource because the 13-mile-long, above-ground line is exposed to the full forces of oceanic storms.

John Ventura, a manager of distribution system engineering for Eversource for Cape Cod, in February told officials following an extended outage caused by a blizzard on Jan. 29 that the "very long line" is one of the most fractious in their system.

"It's 13 miles, it's a lot of exposure, including that Route 6A, where there's water on both sides," Ventura said at a Feb. 14 meeting, speaking of the Shore Road section in North Truro.

Previously reported:Power outages across Outer Cape, gusts to 83 mph in Wellfleet overnight

Provincetown customers were without power as a result of the blizzard outage for at least 15 hours, some longer.

There were also significant outages along that section of the line on Oct. 27, 2021, and on Christmas Day. During the Oct. 27 event, Eversource reported an outage of 99% of customers in Provincetown, an 85% outage in Truro and an 80% outage in Wellfleet, following high winds with unofficial gusts to 83 mph in Wellfleet.

Power equipment issues in two areas of Truro left about 7,500 Outer Cape customers in the dark on Christmas night, the company reported at the time. A downed power line was reported to the company at 9:19 p.m. on Dec. 25 at Shore and Highland roads. At the same time, a utility pole struck on Head of the Meadow Road required company workers to go there as well.

More:Power outage cuts lights for 7.5K customers Christmas night

All of these outages would have been mitigated with the battery in operation, providing power while giving workers time to make repairs.

"This is a really innovative solution to a tough problem communities like Provincetown often face on the Outer Cape," Morse said. "This new Battery Energy Storage System is going to give us the reliability that our residents and businesses have been looking for and will provide for consistency of electricity, particularly in the off-season, giving crews time to work to fix whatever caused the outage and fully restore service."

Provincetown battery system provided power during tests

The battery has already gone to work several times over the last few months to provide back-up power during short outages, primarily as a part of final testing that was conducted over the summer and into the fall as final systems were installed.

In the future, according to the power company, controlled outages will still be necessary when it comes to the safety of crews performing work on the electric system. But outages overall are expected to be minimal with the battery now fully operational.

More:Outage on Oct. 13 in Provincetown part of normal backup battery operation, Eversource says

Hallstrom said the project is appealing not only because it provides a backup power source for the Outer Cape, but also because it did not add a new substation and additional towers and power lines to mar a beautiful landscape.

"A lot of people don't see it," he said of the transfer station where the battery is housed. "A lot of people don't know it's there."

Contact Heather McCarron at hmccarron@capecodonline.com.

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This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Provincetown's new battery system provides backup power to Outer Cape