The Massachusetts Municipal Wholesale Electric Company reached a power purchase agreement with FirstLight, a provider of clean energy and energy storage resources, to deliver clean power to 14 municipal utilities across the state, including the Marblehead Municipal Light Department and Peabody Municipal Light Plant.
Under the agreement, from 2024 to 2029, participating communities will purchase up to 69-gigawatt hours per year of hydroelectric power produced by two Connecticut hydroelectric facilities and equivalent renewable energy credits. The energy purchased under the agreement will be used to supply electric power to more than 6,000 homes and businesses in participating communities, MMWEC said in a statement. The agreement will also enable participating communities to boost their carbon-free energy supply ahead of a looming request from the state for municipal utilities to obtain 50 percent of their electric supply from carbon-free sources by 2030 and net zero carbon emissions by 2050.
“MMWEC and the participating communities understand the climate risks we are facing, and through this agreement, have made bold, tangible steps to begin immediately preparing for the clean energy future ahead of us while also ensuring that the benefits of this transition remain in New England in the form of economic benefits, local union and non-union jobs, and access to beautiful recreation spaces across the region,” FirstLight Chief Commerical Officer Peter Rider said in a statement.
During the first year of the contract, PMLP will utilize 7.58% of the 13.2 megawatts provided. During the remaining years of the agreement, the utility will use 5.74% of the 17.4 megawatts provided, according to the statement.
“As we all strive to achieve our decarbonization goals amid market forces that have new renewable buildouts costing millions if not billions of dollars, it’s refreshing when an existing and affordable renewable resource becomes available,” PMLP Manager Joe Anastasi said. “PMLP’s partnership with MMWEC and FirstLight is a great example of how public power provides its customers with the best options to keep the lights on and the bills low.”
In addition to the utilities in Peabody and Marblehead, the Boylston Municipal Light Department, Groton Electric Light Department, Hull Municipal Light Plant, Ipswich Electric Light Department, Paxton Municipal Light Department, Princeton Municipal Light Department, Russell Municipal Light Department, Shrewsbury Electric & Cable Operations, Sterling Municipal Light Department, Templeton Municipal Light & Water Plant, Wakefield Municipal Gas & Light Department, and West Boylston Municipal Light Plant will all receive energy through the agreement.
MMWEC Chief Executive Officer Ron DeCurzio said the company was proud to see so many of its members participating in the partnership, calling it a “true example of joint action and the ambition of our members in planning and preparing for the energy transition ahead.”
“Not only will this bolster members’ decarbonization efforts, but also, it will support the collective effort to provide reliable, low-cost power to ratepayers across the Commonwealth,” he said.
Under the agreement, FirstLight’s Stevenson Generating Station in Monroe, Connecticut, and Bulls Bridge Generating Station in New Milford, Connecticut, will supply the power to MMWEC, providing it to the communities participating.