SPRINGFIELD, Mass.,--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Western Massachusetts Electric Company (WMECo) today formally launched development of a large-scale solar energy facility in the Indian Orchard section of Springfield. The selected site – owned by the Springfield Redevelopment Authority – encompasses 12 acres and will accommodate 8,200 solar panels and produce 2.2 MW of electricity.
WMECo officials joined local and state officials in announcing the agreement to develop the former foundry site into a clean, renewable energy facility. Upon completion, the Indian Orchard facility will join WMECo’s Silver Lake Solar Facility in Pittsfield as one of the largest in the Northeast region. The project is expected to be completed in the fourth quarter of 2011.
“WMECo is continuing to expand the horizons of large scale solar development,” said Peter J. Clarke, WMECo president and chief operating officer. “Construction of the Indian Orchard facility is further demonstration that large scale solar can be developed and delivered at a cost effective level for customers,” he said.
“This project is a testament to the power of partnership, as we worked with the City of Springfield to advance development for the City and its neighborhoods,” said Clarke.
“Revitalizing brownfield sites is a major aspect of our administration’s continued economic development efforts, especially in our Gateway Communities,” said Lieutenant Governor Timothy P. Murray, who launched the Patrick-Murray Administration’s Brownfield Support Team Initiative (BST) in 2008. “Through the leadership of the BST, we effectively partnered across agencies to determine the clean up needs for this site and identify key funding resources to help spur this great development opportunity for the city and region,” Murray said.
“This new project is a win-win for the residents of Springfield,” said Mayor Domenic J. Sarno. “We will see a major transformation of a brownfield into a clean renewable energy resource that will be an asset to the city and the neighborhood of Indian Orchard,” Sarno said. "This also adds to the city's tax base and builds on my Administration's Green City Initiative," Sarno said.
The project will bring up to $12M of new construction to the region and is expected to contribute $400,000 of annual property tax revenue to the City of Springfield. Springfield is one of the two Gateway Communities in WMECo’s service territory and is home to approximately 65,000 WMECo customers.
The Commonwealth has a goal to install 250 megawatts of solar generation by 2017. Under the landmark Green Communities Act (GCA), each Massachusetts electric utility may own up to 50 MW of solar, subject to approval by the Department of Public Utilities (DPU).
WMECo was the first utility to receive DPU approval in 2009 and is currently authorized to install 6 MW of solar by 2012.
Western Massachusetts Electric Company, a Northeast Utilities company (NYSE:NU), serves approximately 200,000 customers in 59 communities throughout western Massachusetts and is committed to the environment, economic development and the health of the communities it serves. For more information about WMECo, visit our Web site at www.wmeco.com.