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Taunton Municipal Lighting Plant celebrated its 125th anniversary as a public power electric utility in 2022, marking a significant milestone in a long and illustrious history of service to its customers.
Our history…. In 1897 the City of Taunton purchased the Taunton Electric Lighting Company, a company started 15 years earlier by a group of entrepreneurs to generate electricity to illuminate streetlights and incandescent lights in the Main Street/City Square area. Demand for electricity increased as did their debt, and in 1896, the stockholders voted to sell the company. With the City’s purchase, TMLP became one of a growing number of municipal electric companies that was created with the approval of the Massachusetts Legislature.
While much has changed since 1897, the basic tenets of providing reliable, low-cost electric service have remained the same. TMLP is still a public power utility owned by customers in its service area, one that is dedicated to delivering the highest level of service and value to customer-owners, and one which focuses on the specific needs of customers like providing high reliability and lower rates -- something we have always done.
You could say that we’re looking back to the future by honoring the memory of our beginning, emulating the values of our predecessors, and learning from them as we shape our own future - one that embraces innovative technology, customer priorities, and prioritizing the environment.
When I started my career at TMLP 25 years ago, I became a part of a Century-old, customer-owned and operated public power utility; an institution that has served the electric needs of thousands of residents, businesses and industries within our service territory over 125 years. As I now have the honor of serving as General Manager of TMLP during our 125th anniversary, I am reminded of how far we have come, not only in the past 125 years, but in the last 25 years.
While tremendous advances in technology are among the most obvious ways in which TMLP has changed, it is the smaller and subtle changes within TMLP and the industry as a whole that have played a significant role in shaping our present and future. Our succession plans, crafted more than a decade ago, enabled TMLP to seamlessly adapt to personnel changes in management and upper management as they occurred, ensuring that we remain true to our mission with a new perspective. The advancement of decarbonization-focused opportunities, including federal and state grants, and incentives allows TMLP to give more customers the opportunity to reduce their carbon footprint as we work to become carbon-free by 2050. We have embraced these opportunities by updating our policy regarding non-carbon emitting energy goals and creating a new department, the Sustainability and Commercial Development department, to help us move forward in meeting this goal.
Throughout TMLP’s 125-year history, we have strived to be a fiscally responsible and reliable electric utility. During 2022, all utilities, including TMLP, were faced with increased costs due to rising fuel costs in the spot market, global supply issues, and increasing transmission and distribution costs. For the first time since 2016, we implemented a rate change to meet these increased expenses. Although unfortunate, I am proud to say that the previous rate adjustment in 2016 represented a 2% reduction in rates due to prudent and fiscally conservative decisions we made on behalf of our ratepayers.
2022 marked the first full year of normalcy following a two-year interruption created by COVID-19. At the end of 2022, the effects lingered with supply chain shortages and the earlier travel restrictions that affected some projects, specifically the full implementation of the Cogsdale Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system. Despite these challenges, TMLP ended the year as it had begun – with a commitment to exceptional customer service, cost-effective rates, reliable service, and the securing of carbon-free energy.
I am excited about the opportunities we have ahead of us, not only next year, but in the next 25 years. The decisions we made in 2022 have helped prepare us and move us forward to a more sustainable future.
2022 was a year of progress and change, a year that began with sadness as we mourned the loss of Commissioner Joseph M. Martin and former Commissioner Peter Corr, both of whom passed away in late 2021. Although it began with sadness, the ensuing months were ones of celebration, as TMLP observed its 125th anniversary. We celebrated the future and the past through two significant activities: an art contest for 4th grade students, and the culling of old photographs that highlighted our past which will be featured in an historical book that will be published in 2023.
It was also a year of celebration as we looked in the rearview mirror at a global pandemic, and we all picked up the pace as we forged a path into the future. The Commission took a progressive step forward on this path by updating TMLP’s policy regarding our non-carbon emitting energy goals. We voted to increase the previous commitment to obtaining 80% of TMLP’s electric power from non-carbon emitting fuel sources by 2050 to 100% of its electric power from non-carbon emitting fuel sources by 2050.
We are proud of this move, and prouder still that TMLP staff and our predecessors on the Commission have been proactively involved in reducing carbon emitting goals for more than two decades by participating in non-carbon emitting energy source power purchases and implementing energy efficiency programs to customers.
We welcomed a new General Manager, Kimberly Holmes, in 2022. Although new to the General Manager position, Kim has been a part of TMLP for almost 25 years, beginning as a co-op student and taking on positions of increasing responsibility as Business Manager at TMLP, which eventually led to her promotions to Assistant Manager and now as General Manager.
On the dawn of our 126th year, we see a bright future for TMLP and we are excited to lead the charge toward a carbon-free future. We know we are in good hands if the ideas and artwork submitted by hundreds of 4th graders in our service territory are any indication!
Taunton Municipal Lighting Plant had a change of leadership in early 2022 when General Manager Kimberly Holmes succeeded former General Manager Kenneth Goulart in March. General Manager Holmes, a longtime member of TMLP’s staff, previously served as Assistant General Manager.
TMLP celebrated its 125th anniversary in 2022, beginning with an art contest for fourth grade students during the spring and culminating in October during the annual Public Power Week open house. The students were asked to convey their thoughts about green energy, energy conservation, and/or safety. The winning entries submitted by 13 students in the service territory were featured on a 2023 calendar which was unveiled at the open house. TMLP also compiled historical pictures for a 125th anniversary book to be published in 2023.
The utility took a major step toward meeting the carbon-free mandate/initiative by creating a new department, the Sustainability & Commercial Development department, to investigate, apply for, and secure grants and opportunities to enhance energy efficiency and sustainability in the territory. TMLP secured a $250,000 grant from the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center to retrofit the heating and cooling systems at two low-income facilities in Taunton with Stash M1 thermal heat pumps. When completed, the interconnected thermal heat pumps are expected to provide TMLP with an aggregated flexible load of 50 kW and energy storage capacity of 500 kWh per day to reduce peak loads. The installation of Stash heat pumps in approximately 25 dwelling units is expected to reduce electric consumption by 110 MWh and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 80 metric tons per year, while saving energy for the units and providing additional decarbonization resources for TMLP. Although plans for the project were well underway, widespread supply chain issues throughout the electric utility industry delayed this and other projects in 2022. Early in the year, TMLP was awarded $1 million from the Massachusetts Legislature to enhance customer access to additional energy efficiency programs and opportunities.
The longstanding commitment to making responsible power purchases was bolstered by the Commission’s energy policy updates which called for an increase in electric power purchases from non-carbon emitting fuel sources from 80% to 100% by 2050. TMLP continued to advocate for reliable and cost-effective power purchases and transmission opportunities for ratepayers through its active participation in New England Power Pool (NEPOOL) and ISO-New England. On a local level, TMLP worked with several ratepayers and developers to explore the possibility of constructing solar arrays and battery energy storage systems, while regional efforts included investigating additional opportunities to reduce transmission costs in addition to its part ownership in Hydro Quebec. An average of 60 residential and commercial customers continued to voluntarily participate in the Go Green 100% program which ensured that their electricity came from 100% renewable energy sources.
TMLP monitored global fuel and wholesale market prices throughout 2022 along with transmission and distribution costs, all of which were affected by world events, increased power supply costs, and cost increases and shortages in supply chains. A 15% rate adjustment was implemented in mid-2022 to address rising natural gas prices as well as cost increases in supplies and transportation, and generation and supply production costs. An additional $0.03/kWh increase in the power cost adjustment was implemented in early Fall.
Unit 9 continued to operate as needed during peak times in 2022. After undergoing major upgrades in recent years, and the integration of several of the unit’s mechanical systems into a server environment, Unit 9 operated efficiently as expected. The unit remained a reliable source of power, specifically during times of peak usage and a late December cold snap. The 3 MW / 6 MWh Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) at the Cleary-Flood station again reached 100% of all forecasted monthly hourly peak loads, resulting in significant peak savings. Construction of the 115 KV buss Yard at the Cleary-Flood station was 95% complete by the end of 2022. Started in 2021, the project included the installation of the major components and reconductoring of the existing station in addition to the construction of a new building. The distributed generation system at West Water Street also resulted in more than $1 million in savings in transmission and capacity costs to ratepayers in 2022. Work continued on Unit 8 in preparation of the decommissioning and future dismantling of the 1960s-era oil-fired generator.
The year 2022 proved to be challenging as TMLP faced supply chain shortages that affected projects in several areas of the utility. Delays in securing transformers, switches and gear used by line crews throughout the electric utility industry required longer lead times and increased costs. TMLP persevered through the difficulties and delays, installing service to eight developments and new businesses in the territory, along with performing system maintenance, streetlight and pole replacements, and fiber installations. Crews were dispatched to Jacksonville, Florida and Bartow, Florida as part of the Northeast Public Power Association’s (NEPPA) mutual aid response in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian, and an additional crew was sent to assist New Hampshire Co-op line crews following a snowstorm. This valuable mutual aid response from electric industry peers is an integral part of restoration efforts.
The anticipated rollout of the Cogsdale Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system after COVID-19-related delays moved forward with the launch of the Microsoft Dynamics platform for in-house financials, including project management, human resources/payroll, ledgers and purchasing, among others. The second phase of the rollout involving customer transactions is expected to be completed by MIS in 2023. Following two years of restrictions, TMLP operations returned to pre-COVID status. Business practices that were streamlined to accommodate customer transactions during the pandemic led to an increase in participation in online payments and paperless billing usage and a decrease in mail-in and drop box use.
Energy conservation incentive and rebate programs continued to be robust in 2022, with the processing of rebates brought in-house and handled by the Sustainability & Commercial Development department. The 2022 Energy Star rebate program was expanded to include more sustainable energy-focused products including battery push, walk behind and rider lawn mowers, and electric heat pump water heaters, also known as hybrid electric water heaters.
The department awarded a total of $182,500 in appliance rebates, weatherization incentives, EV and EV Level 2 charger rebates and incentives, and residential solar rebates. Nearly 400 residential and commercial solar systems were online in 2022 as a result of the additional solar projects completed, which accounted for 320.81 kWh of the 26,920,263 kWh produced.
TMLP assisted city and town officials in Taunton, Raynham, Lakeville and Dighton to secure Massachusetts Municipal Fiber Grants for projects in their respective communities. Work also continued to secure state and federal grants in anticipation of a full rollout of fiber optics throughout the service area in the future. Installation of fiber optic service continued in 2022.
Succession planning at TMLP continued with anticipated retirements and new employee hires in 2022. Employee training sessions were conducted for phase one of the Cogsdale Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system in all affected areas of TMLP, along with ongoing training sessions for new hires and the rewriting of employee handbooks with updated policies as needed. TMLP also initiated a co-operative program with Bristol-Plymouth High School students during the year. Health and safety training for TMLP staff continued as did facility inspections and all necessary certification programs.
Although delayed by inclement weather, the annual Public Power Week celebration was held in person with staff taking part in showcasing TMLP with pole demonstrations, boom and boat demonstrations, and Electricity City, an interactive program for children. TMLP also celebrated its 125th anniversary with the community at the open house with anniversary activities and the unveiling of the 125th student-created calendar. During the year, TMLP introduced the Monster Detective program for 4th grade students in the service territory which encompassed the schools’ curriculum. The students participated in an assembly where they learned about energy conservation, safety, fuel sources, renewable energy and how electricity gets to their homes. TMLP staff again generously donated to community organizations as well as other charitable endeavors supported by individuals and families. The association with the Leddy School as a business partner continued in 2022 and TMLP worked with many local organizations and activities by hanging banners in support of the organizations and the promotion of community events.
