Mount Washington to have electricity by next summer

[Greg]

Mount Washington to have electricity by next summer

THOMPSON AND MESERVES PURCHASE — A Manchester engineering firm has been awarded a $1.8 million contract to bring electrical service to the summit of Mount Washington.

Dufresne-Henry will work on an accelerated schedule bring electricity to the top of the mountain, with the project expected to be completed by next summer.

The complex project will construct an electrical substation at the base of the Cog Railway to serve the Northeast’s tallest mountain and a transmission line that will run to the summit following the railway route.

Below the tree line, the transmission line will run underground. Above that point, a unique conduit design will allow the transmission line to traverse the Cog Railway trestle, which will be hidden from view so there will be no impact on the visual appeal of the historic railway structure.

The project will also construct an electrical distribution system, a standby generator and a communications building on the summit.

For many years, the summit facilities, which include the Sherman Adams building and the Mount Washington Observatory, have relied on about 80,000 gallons of kerosene per year for heat and to generate electric power at a cost of more than $300,000 a year.

The supply of commercial electrical service on the summit will reduce energy costs substantially.

The installation of the electric transmission line, along with a new fiber optic communications line, will enable the state to introduce diverse new communication systems on the summit and to augment the current microwave based system.

This project is being designed under the authorization of the New Hampshire Department of Resources and Economic Development.

SOURCE

 

[MtnMagic]

Great news! I'm all for dropping the kerosene pollution for clean electricity. Now if we can only figure out a good way to get the BTU's needed for the 3 Cog's ascent up the rockpile without using coal, I'd be even happier.

 

[SilentCal]

This is good news, I wonder if they will still keep the kerosene up there for emergency purposes. The Cog depending on something other than coal would be a godsend, but no matter what I'll still be mooning them coal or without.