The last stretch of work on an electric cable that will bring 1,800 megawatts of power to Boston from Southeastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island could begin as early as today along Cummins Highway. The 18-mile installation project started from the Stoughton/ Canton line (along route 138), cutting through Milton, Mattapan, Dorchester and ending in South Boston.

Consumer demand for electricity is increasing and the growth is expected to continue, according to NSTAR, largely due to the proliferation of battery chargers, energy-sucking plasma TVs and air conditioners.

"One of the biggest benefits of this project is the security of having the resources available to support these neighborhoods," said Michael Durand, a spokesperson for NSTAR. "As our communities are becoming more energy reliant and both the residential and business population continues to grow, power has been in high demand."

"Our primary goal is to improve reliability and increase availability," said Durand. "By bringing additional power into the Boston area we have a more effective electric system that we didn't have access to before. We want to make sure that our service is reliable in withstanding demand. And we want to provide not only a current, but a modern structure."

Traffic may be narrowed down to one lane and parking restrictions are also possible. The work will stretch down Cummins from Burger King near Blue Hill Avenue to Canniff Monuments at Harvard Street. The Mattapan phase of construction should be complete after a six to eight week period. NStar says its crews will maintain general work hours from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday to Friday and 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturdays.