As part of an agreement approved by the NH Public Utilities Commission, Eversource this week took ownership of all electric utility poles owned by Consolidated Communications (CCI) in NH. With the agreement, the energy company is now responsible for the maintenance of an additional 175,393 utility pole equivalents across all 10 counties in the Granite State, enabling Eversource to more efficiently complete repairs, new pole sets, and upgrades.
“Pole replacements and equipment transfers are time-consuming, labor-intensive processes that are necessary every day in order to provide safe, reliable service to customers, and utilities must work collaboratively to ensure the proper maintenance of this vast network that is essential to all of our electricity and telecommunications needs. With this agreement, these poles will now be fully integrated into our maintenance processes, enabling our dedicated field employees to efficiently complete necessary upgrades and repairs to make our electric system more resilient for customers,” says Eversource NH President of Operations Doug Foley.
In NH, towns are divided into maintenance areas between electric and telephone companies dictating who is responsible for installing, maintaining, and removing poles. All other parties rent space on the pole to attach their equipment, and the joint owner companies have signed agreements outlining the process for the replacement of poles. The completion of this agreement between Eversource and CCI eliminates the complexities in administering utility poles under joint ownership and will improve service and reliability for customers as the energy company fully integrates the poles into its maintenance processes, according to an Eversource spokesperson.
The NH Public Utilities Commission approved the agreement on Nov. 18, 2022, following a regulatory review process that began in February 2021.
Current Issue - April 2024