Worcester Business Journal

wbjournal.com | October 2, 2017 | Worcester Business Journal 13 E N E R G Y F O C U S W October 6-8, 2017 Grand Tasting at Union Station Join wineries, breweries, spirit distillers, local restaurants and more at our signature walk-around tasting event to be held at historic Union Station in Worcester. Taste over 400 of the finest wines from around the world. VIP Admission starts at 11:30am. General Admission begins at 1:00pm For more information and to order tickets for all events and dinners, visit WorcesterWineFestival.com A MAJOR ANNIVERSARY... A NEW BUILDING... A MAJOR COMPANY MILESTONE Whether it's the celebration of a major anniversary or the opening of a new headquarters, Worcester Business Journal's Custom Publishing Division can help you create a custom magazine for your business. Our division's top flight team of writers and designers can help you tell your story – and make your business look great! Based on our unique publishing model, it's surprisingly affordable. Can we create a CUSTOM magazine for you? Call WBJ Custom Corporate Project Director Christine Juetten at 508-755-8004 ext. 270. Worcester Business Journal WBJ Custom Publishing Division Celebrating 50 Years of Growth, Jobs and Development 1 50 Years 1 9 6 5 - 2 0 1 5 C E L E B R A T I N G An advertising supplement to the Worcester Business Journal Shrewsbury Public Library: Building the Next Chapter SHREWSBURY Building the Next Chapter public library How many natural gas leaks were fixed and left to leak last year Central Mass. gas leaks Worcester Fitchburg Marlborough Framingham Natick Auburn Leominster Milford Franklin Shrewsbury Westborough Unrepaired leaks (2016) Repaired leaks (2016) 906 260 99 63 153 290 126 45 103 159 53 85 8 25 74 434 36 52 38 37 19 32 The $39M problem Natural gas utilities lose somewhere between 0.5 and 2 percent of their sup- ply each year, said Bob Ackley, president of Southborough advocacy group Gas Safety Inc. This problem isn't entirely from leaky pipes, as the category includes theft, venting, gas used by the company itself, and metering error. The state Department of Public Utilities allows utilities like Eversource Energy and National Grid to recover the cost of lost gas by factoring it into their supply rates. Their customers then pay those rates on the natural gas they use. The increase in rates due to LAUF costs ratepayers $38.8 million each year, said State Sen. Jamie Eldrige (D-Marlborough). Eldridge has filed legislation to prohibit utilities from fac- toring lost into their rates, although the bill has yet to move toward approval. Separately, a Massachusetts law was passed in 2014 requiring gas companies to submit plans to repair or replace infrastructure to reduce leaks. The law directed DPU to institute regulations to implement a monitoring program. The regulations stemming from that law are expected to take effect after a Nov. 7 comment deadline to the DPU. "It's something we're watching very closely," said Michael Durand, Eversource spokesman. The $65M investment This year, Eversource is replacing five miles of leak-prone cast iron pipe in Worcester and 40 miles of pipe state- wide in favor of more durable plastic pipes to help reduce leaks as part of a $65-million investment. The company, which has about 3,000 miles of gas mains in the state, plans to increase the miles of aging and leaky pipe replaced each year, Durand said. Eversource and other gas companies are working closely with organizations like HEET on a plan to identify Level 3 leaks that may be leaking more than originally suspected, Durand said. These relatively minor Level 3 leaks can still have a devastating impact on the environment, said Ackley, whose organization advocates for safer gas infrastructure. He tests areas for gas leaks and is convinced a large beech tree in the Worcester's Elm Park is dying due to an identified gas leak. "The thing is getting smoked," he said. Source: Home Energy Efficiency Team Kelley Square in Worcester has three of the city's 906 natural gas leaks left unrepaired in 2016.

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