Welcome Letter From The Manager Letter From The Commission Year In Review Employees 2015 Financials

Letter From The Manager

"For more than 130 years, public power has been a tradition that works across the nation on behalf of its communities and customers. Today, it is a thriving segment of the electric utility industry, enhancing overall economic development, often with additional infrastructure responsibilities for broadband services. Public power has a strong environmental-protection track record, solid credentials with bond ratings agencies, and a reputation for reliable, customer-focused service. Public power also continues to be an appealing institution for many cities and towns currently served by private power companies and interested in the opportunity to obtain lower rates and local control over an essential service. Climate change, environmental protection, and energy efficiency; maintaining and enhancing reliability; developing new generation and other power supply options; and financing infrastructure are all high on public power's agenda."

American Public Power Association -- Public Power: Shining a Light on Public Service

The past year marked my first full year as General Manager of the Taunton Municipal Lighting Plant. It was also a year in which I celebrated 28 years of service to the utility, while also celebrating the unique characteristics and accomplishments that make TMLP so special.

Not a day goes by that I don't reflect on what - and who - TMLP is, and all those who have come before us. Not only Managers and Commissioners, but the hundreds of men and women who have had a hand in shaping the institution it has become - and will be. During the last 118 years, TMLP has truly become a valuable community resource. Our primary objective has always been to provide services at affordable and competitive rates - while our mission has always been to keep our customers as our number one priority.

To do this, we pledge to be forward-thinking in all our decisions - from who we hire to how we diversify our power portfolio. These goals and objectives are attainable through progressive management, improved productivity and clear expectations of exceeding the high quality standards we have set. But this isn't a new pledge. It's a pledge our predecessors made, and followed, each and every day, for more than a century.

What will the future bring? The future of TMLP is solid. During the next decade, TMLP and its customers will reap the benefits of projects that have come to fruition, as well as the projects that have been on the drawing board and are now in the regulatory and permitting stages. The success of the four commercial solar farms has enabled us not only to envision, but begin the process of, creating our own community solar project which would enable TMLP customers to have access to solar power without having to install their own equipment. Our proactive approach and commitment to a diversified power portfolio, as evidenced by this project and others, has also led TMLP to begin the process of establishing an environmentally-friendly fast-start peaking unit at the Cleary Flood Generation Station. Once completed, this unit will be both energy efficient and have reduced emissions. It will go online quickly to provide power when other sources, including renewables like wind or solar plants, are not available during times of peak energy consumption.

We are poised for a bright future, one that combines the knowledge and expertise of the past with the technology and environmentally-friendly resources of the future. The next few years will also see several major companies moving into the service area, enhancing economic and community development.

Several projects are now in the regulatory pipeline, as are others which are in the final stages of planning. These projects will each play a major role in meeting the future needs of our customers and supporting our mission to deliver safe, reliable, environmentally-sensitive electrical service at competitive rates while providing outstanding customer service.