By Joe Stewart

At the November 4 Select Board meeting, representatives from Enbridge’s Algonquin Gas Transmission subsidiary presented plans for a multi-state, multi-million-dollar pipeline upgrade, a small segment of which passes through West Wrentham, crossing Bellingham’s Washington Street, then Wrentham’s West Street and Spring Street before passing into Rhode Island.  

Enbridge argued that the project is critical for regional energy reliability and affordability. However, energy policy analysts question the fundamental need for the expansion that ratepayers will pay for and whether ratepayers will see the promised savings.

The “Reliable Affordable Resilient Enhancement” (RARE) project spans components in Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island. It involves not only replacing pipeline but also extending other segments and upgrading a compressor station. The portion directly affecting Wrentham is known as the G-1 segment which involves replacing approximately 7.1 miles of an existing 16-inch diameter pipeline with a modern 36-inch pipe along a route that runs through Mendon, Bellingham, Franklin, Wrentham, and Cumberland, Rhode Island. Officials stated the work in Wrentham would be confined to the existing pipeline right-of-way, which has been in place since the 1950s.

The Case for Expansion

During the presentation, Enbridge representatives, including John Sheridan, Director of Government Relations, Guy Glodis, Community and Legislative Affairs liaison, and Nancy Kist, Director of Land and Right of Way, described a region under energy strain. They stated that the Northeast faces the highest energy prices in the nation, driven by high demand, infrastructure constraints, and the scheduled closure of the Everett Marine Terminal, a key liquefied natural gas (LNG) import facility.

According to their presentation, the proposed larger pipeline is designed to alleviate long-standing transmission constraints, improve system reliability particularly during peak demand, and help stabilize energy prices by reducing reliance on volatile international LNG markets. 

Glodis shared that Eversource estimates that ratepayers could save $340 million over the next decade with the enhanced pipeline capacity. In an email confirmation, Eversource elaborated on their estimate: “Taking advantage of this supply opportunity is expected to save our customers in Massachusetts approximately $400 million in supply costs over the course of the agreement by reducing our reliance on foreign LNG at EMT and replacing it with a fuel source that is less expensive and less carbon intensive.”

In response to questions from Select Board members about town revenue from property taxes, the company reported annual payments of $130,379.46 for the pipeline in Wrentham, which would increase due to the higher value of the upgraded infrastructure. As to construction impacts, they noted that the Wrentham segment is relatively short, approximately two miles, with much of it not near residential areas. Enbridge described the work as a replacement upgrade within an existing easement.

Kist described the project’s immediate next steps involve surveys beginning in December 2025 of properties within and adjacent to the existing right-of-way to conduct civil, environmental, and cultural resource assessments within the study corridor, about 150 feet to both sides of the existing pipeline. 

Questions of Need and Cost

Despite the company’s arguments, the project’s necessity is challenged by clean energy advocates such as Acadia Center, a non-profit public policy research and advocacy organization focused on the clean energy transition in the Northeast with an emphasis on affordability.  Joseph LaRusso, Acadia’s Manager of the Clean Grid Program, posed a foundational question: “Does Massachusetts need to expand its natural gas infrastructure?”

In an interview, LaRusso cited data from the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities (DPU) showing that natural gas consumption by residential, commercial, and industrial customers in the state declined from 2019 to 2024. Likewise, Federal Energy Information Administration (EIA) data, which includes gas used for electricity generation, also shows an overall decline for Massachusetts over the same period despite a slight increase in gas use by power plants.

Critically, LaRusso pointed out that between 2019 and 2024, other pipeline expansion projects in the region have already added 362 million cubic feet per day (MMcf/d) of capacity. The RARE project will add another approximately 75 MMcf/d. However, over the same period, residential natural gas prices have continued to rise despite the capacity increase.  According to the EIA, since 2019, Massachusetts natural gas prices have risen from $14.72 to $21.80 (per thousand cubic feet) in 2024.

LaRusso attributed sustained high natural gas prices to the United States becoming the world’s leading exporter of LNG, thus tying domestic prices to the global market. The EIA reported that the United States exported 11.9 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) of liquefied natural gas from eight export facilities in 2024, remaining the world’s leading LNG exporter.   In a follow-up email, LaRusso concluded, “New England won’t be able to ‘pipeline’ its way to lower natural gas prices.”

LaRusso also raised a practical concern about demand: even if more gas is made available, new natural gas-fired power plants face a backlog in turbine deliveries of five to seven years, suggesting it will be years after pipeline expansions are completed before generators could fully utilize the added capacity and reap any cost reductions.

The Path Forward

For Wrentham, the immediate process involves survey work likely concluding in the spring of 2026. Enbridge plans to hold an informational open house for the public in April or May 2026, with a formal filing to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) expected in the third quarter of 2026. If approved, construction would begin in 2029, with an in-service date of November 2029.

The debate now unfolding mirrors a larger regional tension: balancing immediate infrastructure upgrades with a long-term transition to cleaner energy, all under the pressure of high consumer costs. As Enbridge moves forward with its surveys and outreach, ratepayers are left to weigh the promise of enhanced reliability and the potential for future savings against analysis showing that more pipeline capacity has not led to lower bills.