November 02, 2009
More green power won't mean more green from payers
By Ethan Forman
Staff writer
DANVERS — The town plans to double the amount of power it gets from green sources — hydroelectric plants in New York and Maine — by March 1, Town Manager Wayne Marquis said.
Danvers Electric now buys roughly 2.5 percent of its power from a hydroelectric plant in New York.
Recently, the town joined with 15 other municipal power utilities in Massachusetts to buy power form the Worumbo hydroelectric project on the Androscoggin River in Lisbon Falls, Maine. The plant was once part of the Worumbo woolen mill and was recently refurbished.
The move means Danvers will increase its supply of green power by 2.7 percent, increasing the total to just over 5 percent, Marquis said.
While green power can reduce the size of the town's carbon footprint and reduce the use of oil and natural gas, it can be more costly to buy, Marquis said.
In this case, the green power from Maine will have no impact on electric rates, Marquis said.
It should cost as much as the present cost of power on the wholesale energy market. The town will get power under the deal from March 1, 2010, to Feb. 28, 2013.
Staff writer Ethan Forman can be reached at 978-338-2673 or by e-mail at eforman@salemnews.com.