FirstLight and Energy New England (ENE) have expanded a long-term power purchase agreement (PPA) that will supply hydropower to 21 municipal utilities across New England, US, through 2040.
The expanded contract will deliver 197GWh of electricity per year from two hydroelectric facilities in Massachusetts: the Cabot and Turners Falls plants. Together, the projects provide long-established baseload hydropower from the Connecticut River.
The Cabot Generating Station, located in Montague, is Massachusetts’ largest conventional hydropower facility. Commissioned in 1916, the plant has six generating units with a combined installed capacity of 62MW. The Turners Falls facility, located upstream, was commissioned in 1905 and operates five generating units with a combined capacity of 6MW.
Under the agreement, participating municipal utilities will receive both physical power and associated renewable energy credits. The contracted volume is expected to meet the annual electricity demand of approximately 20,000 households across the participating communities.
The original PPA between FirstLight and ENE’s customer group was signed in 2020 and was among the largest municipal clean energy procurements in New England at the time. The latest expansion follows an earlier contract extension in 2022.
“We are proud to expand our successful collaboration with Energy New England and the 21 ambitious municipal utilities who’ve proven through strategic action that clean energy, affordability, and reliability can coexist to meet the energy needs of our communities without compromising on cost or service,” said Justin Trudell, President and CEO of FirstLight. “As the clean energy future that we’re working towards faces new roadblocks, the value of existing clean energy generation has never been clearer. FirstLight’s clean hydroelectric projects throughout New England have powered our communities for generations, providing good paying union and non-union jobs, creating accessible recreation spaces for the public to enjoy, and through agreements like this one, supporting participating communities by delivering a reliable clean energy product and needed cost certainty during otherwise uncertain times.”
ENE said the agreement supports compliance with state-level clean energy requirements. Member utilities already meet Massachusetts’ mandate for municipal utilities to source 50% of electricity from carbon-free resources by 2030.
“We are excited to expand our partnership with FirstLight, and are incredibly proud that, despite headwinds with clean energy expansion, our members have doubled down on transitioning to clean energy sources, and years ahead of the Commonwealth’s mandate, have achieved power portfolios comprised of at least 50 percent clean resources,” said John Tzimorangas, President and CEO of Energy New England. “Our members have shown that these long-term procurements with existing clean energy resources and trusted partners like FirstLight, are not only beneficial in supporting compliance with state mandates, but they also provide the reliable, local, and cost-competitive electricity our ratepayers depend on us to deliver.”
In addition to the ENE group contract, FirstLight has signed separate bilateral agreements with individual municipal utilities, including Taunton Municipal Lighting Plant, Reading Municipal Light Department, and Middleborough Gas and Electric Department.
The 21 participating public power entities are Belmont Municipal Light Department, Braintree Electric Light Department, Concord Municipal Light Plant, Danvers Electric Division, Georgetown Municipal Light Department, Groveland Municipal Light Department, Hingham Municipal Lighting Plant, Mass Development/Devens Utilities, Merrimac Municipal Light Department, Middleboro Gas & Electric Department, Middleton Municipal Electric Department, North Attleboro Electric Department, Norwood Municipal Light Department, Reading Municipal Light Department, Rowley Municipal Lighting Plant, Taunton Municipal Lighting Plant, Wellesley Municipal Light Plant, Westfield Gas & Electric, Block Island Utility District, Pascoag Utility District, and Stowe Electric Department.
