The Burlington Electric Department (BED) has announced new power purchase agreements (PPAs) with a subsidiary of New England Reliable Hydropower Holdings LLC (NERH) and Relevate Power for hydroelectric generation from projects in Maine and Connecticut.
The agreements will replace a previous hydroelectricity contract with FirstLight that expired on 31 December 2025 and an existing wind power agreement in Hancock, Maine, that is due to expire later this year.
BED and a subsidiary of NERH have signed two agreements linked to the Skelton Hydro facility on Maine’s Saco River. The first provides 100% of the project’s energy output and associated renewable energy credits (RECs) through the end of 2026. The second is a five-year agreement beginning on 1 January 2027 covering 50% of the facility’s output, equivalent to approximately 50,000MWh annually, together with associated RECs. The Burlington Electric Commission approved the five-year agreement on 13 May 2026.
BED has also signed a 10-year PPA with Relevate Power for output from the Wyre Wynd Hydroelectric Project on the Quinebaug River in Jewett City, Connecticut. The agreement, which commenced in February 2026, provides an estimated 10,600MWh annually, together with associated RECs and capacity. The contract received approvals from the Burlington Electric Commission, Burlington Board of Finance and Burlington City Council between September 2025 and January 2026.
“I appreciate BED’s efforts to secure renewable energy in the form of New England hydropower from NERH and Relevate, building on BED’s recent renewal of its Vermont Wind agreement,” stated Mayor Emma Mulvaney-Stanak. “Continuing to include cost-competitive hydro and wind in our energy portfolio are important steps that benefit our ratepayers and help with our strategy of being a climate-forward city.”
“Our new agreements with NERH and Relevate demonstrate BED’s and the City’s continuing commitment to source 100 percent of our power from a mix of different types of renewable generation, while maintaining reliability for our customers,” stated Darren Springer, General Manager, BED. “With demand for renewable generation rising and with energy costs broadly rising across resources, BED will continue with our strategy to source cost-effective, stably priced, and longer-term sources of renewable power to reduce volatility for our customers. We appreciate the opportunity to work with NERH and Relevate to support Burlington’s energy goals and help support renewable energy on the New England grid.”
“We are thrilled to announce our new agreements with Burlington Electric Department, supporting this innovative municipal utility as it looks to maintain a 100 percent renewable power supply as electricity demand grows and the energy transition advances,” stated Steven Zuretti, Senior Director of Commercial Origination, NERH. “This collaboration complements BED’s mission to meet its customers’ energy needs in a safe, reliable, affordable, sustainable, and socially responsible manner, and advances NERH’s mission to deliver the clean power needed to meet accelerating electricity demand across New England.”
“Relevate Power appreciates our new partnership that enables Burlington Electric Department to continue sourcing its power from renewable generation and to pursue its Net Zero Energy goal,” stated Ian Clark, Chief Commercial Officer, Relevate Power LLC.
NERH is a joint venture between affiliates of Brookfield and a subsidiary of B Grimm Power Public Company Limited.
