Since its establishment as a public power utility in 1897, Taunton Municipal Lighting Plant has been setting a solid foundation from which to grow. From its humble beginnings as the Taunton Electric Lighting Company in 1882, to its purchase by the City of Taunton 15 years later in 1897, TMLP has played a substantial part in the growth of the community by providing reliable, efficient, economical and quality electric service to its residential, business, commercial and industrial customers for more than a century.

This basic foundation, laid by the Taunton entrepreneurs who provided the initial funding in 1882 to illuminate 40 lights in the Main Street and City Square areas, was reinforced by city voters who gave their approval in 1897 to make a solid investment in the community's future. It's the same foundation that enabled the city's first electric cars to travel from the Green to Whittenton and later to Weir Street, and it's the same foundation that helped launch the Internet Services' TMLP Online in 1997.

It's upon this foundation that TMLP has fostered a growing renewable and sustainable energy supply that keeps rates competitive and service reliable. The past year was one of great strides and great progress in this area as well as others that will have a long-lasting and far-reaching impact on TMLP. TMLP had numerous significant achievements in 2013, including the addition of a 3 MW solar farm in Berkley, which increased the solar production capability to 9 MW. Other accomplishments included enabling commercial customers to access load profile information, and the undertaking of a major inspection and equipment upgrade of Unit 9 at the Cleary Flood Station. These upgrades, which involved all TMLP departments, ensure that the duel fuel power plant will be producing power in a reliable and efficient manner for decades to come.

Like any solid structure, TMLP has been built from the ground up through the hard work, dedication and perseverance of the hundreds of men and women who built the system. With a beginning base of 22 customers, TMLP has grown to provide service to more than 36,000 customers in Taunton, Berkley, Raynham and sections of Dighton, Lakeville and Bridgewater. These customers rely on the utility, not only to keep the lights on and the Internet running, but to also make the decisions that keep TMLP the viable, well-built and structurally sound utility that it is.