[NEWS] Massachusetts Passes Bill Providing “Waste-to-Energy” Credits
– by Mintz Levin, August 2, 2016, Lexology
The bill, H.4568, includes several provisions that directly affect the operations of utility and energy companies in the state:
Offshore wind contract solicitations must begin by June 2017, with procurements every two years of at least 400 MWs each, until the total 1,600 MWs has been contracted. Contracts sufficient to achieve delivery of the specified amount of power must be executed by 2027.
Hydropower and land-based wind power contract solicitations must begin prior to April 2017 and be executed before December 2022. They must be a “cost effective mechanism for procuring low cost renewable energy on a long-term basis,” as determined by the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities.
The bill requires utilities to develop a plan to repair leaks in natural gas pipelines.
If practical, state utilities must procure large-scale energy storage systems by 2020.
Small-scale Massachusetts hydropower facilities (up to 2 MW) will benefit from the guaranteed revenue from “net metering.”
The bill enables waste-to-energy plants and fuel cells to earn “alternative energy credits” worth about $20 per MW hour for their energy production.
