Energy Awareness Forum
The Energy Awareness Forum is a great place to ask questions about PMLP. Answers will be published on a quarterly basis, and will serve as a resource for everyone. The deadline to make a submission is 60 days prior to the next quarterly response. If you make a submission less than 60 days until the next planned responses from PMLP, we will make every effort to answer it this quarter, but if we cannot, then your question will be moved to the following quarter.
August 21, 2023 is the next deadline to have your question/s answered in the list of September 21, 2023 forum responses
until the next deadline
September 2023
What is the status of project 2015A? Although it is a MMWEC project they have no status posted. Since PMLP is the primary operator and it is sited on City of Peabody property managed by PMLP it would be appreciated and expected to keep local ratepayers and neighbors informed of the status and projected 'ribbon cutting' and emissions.
All major components of the 2015A project have been installed and crews are completing a punch-list of remaining items before being able to test start the unit. Being a complicated machine, a definitive schedule is hard to nail down but it should be completed in weeks and not months. As soon as the project has a date to announce, MMWEC and PMLP will communicate this to the public.
Regarding 'Project' 2023A (calling purchasing additional energy from an existing source doesn't seem like a project in the typical sense) what is the plan for Peabody once Seabrook is shut down. (or, in the case that it does not make it to 2050 due to its ongoing cement degradation currently under a monitoring order by the NRC) The existing roadmap requires the net zero goal by 2050, which has to include post 2050 as well (2051-beyond) when Seabrook will not be operating based on current projections. We all know how long it can take for new energy generation to come online, (especially clean energy) so although 2050 seems like a long time from now, in the energy generation world, it is not all that far away and we should have a plan that ratepayers are aware of and have input into.
We certainly agree that new generation projects can have a very long lead time, and that the life of Seabrook is not infinite. All of our energy supply contracts and assets have a finite life, whether that be Berkshire Wind, Eagle Creek Hydro, Seabrook, 2015A, or the rest. Some of those time horizons are easier to predict and others more difficult. Because available energy sources are forever changing, we are always seeking cost-effective options for our customers while prioritizing carbon-free projects.
Predicting with any sort of accuracy what’s going to happen in the next 27 years probably wouldn’t be wise, but we continue to commit to and exceed the targets established by the State and strive to increase our renewable portfolio as quickly as possible while considering the economic impact to the customers of Peabody and South Lynnfield. The path to net-zero by 2050 will certainly include more offshore wind, batteries, hydro, solar, demand response, nuclear, as well as other technologies. And just because, seven (7) years prior to the 2030 deadline, PMLP now has the contracts in place to be a full 9% above the 50% milestone, doesn’t mean we stop here. The goal to decarbonize is ever-present, and our efforts are unrelenting.
June 21, 2023
Is the PMLP and Peabody government actively planning how to decarbonize our energy production?
Yes, in fact PMLP has been on the forefront of active decarbonization efforts for decades, going as far back as the mid-1970’s. PMLP has one of the most robust carbon-free portfolios in the state, currently at 43% carbon-free. And recently, on April 27th this year (2023), we signed another contract for additional Carbon-Free power from the Seabrook Nuclear plant that will bring us to approximately 54% carbon-free by 2030, essentially solidifying our ability to meet the State’s 2030 Decarbonization goals.
How much money has PMLP provided for home owners to go solar historically?
While this is a difficult question to quantify, PMLP has ongoing programs to provide Net-Metering benefits to Solar Customers. Contrary to popular belief, PMLP is not a Solar Panel provider. We provide electricity. When a customer wishes to install Solar Panels on their rooftops, we facilitate this by way of a Net-Metering program that allows the customer to not only enjoy the power they generate, but to sell back to PMLP the amounts they do not need. PMLP “buys” this back largely at retail rates! This special rate constitutes ongoing savings and benefits to the customers during the entire time the Panels are in use. This savings is different for each customer based on the size and quantity of panels, but also on their general monthly electrical consumption needs. While PMLP could buy carbon-free power elsewhere for less than retail, we buy back from our residential solar customers at full retail to help assist our customers interested in investing in solar be able to do so.
How many homes currently have solar power in part or in full?
In PMLP’s service territory there are 38 residential customers and 5 commercial/industrial customers who have installed Solar Panels and are taking advantage of the benefits offered by PMLP’s Net-Metering program.
How much money would it cost for PMLP to put solar panels on 500 Peabody homes for PMLP energy production?
First, as stated earlier, it’s not in PMLP’s purview to buy or install Solar Panels on residences, but the cost for 500 homes would be approximately $17 million dollars based on the average cost of a system installed in Peabody. PMLP has focused on a path of decarbonizing while doing so in a manner that is as cost-effective as possible.