Holden Municipal Light Department, Lightshift Energy and MMWEC Unveil Battery Storage Project in Holden, MA to Strengthen Community Energy Resilience

Massachusetts Undersecretary of Energy Michael Judge, State Representative Kimberly Ferguson, State Senator Peter Durant, MMWEC and other local representatives participated in a ribbon-cutting ceremony

Holden Municipal Light Department (HMLD) and Lightshift Energy, a leading energy storage project developer, owner and operator, hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Monday to celebrate the completion of Lightshift’s newest battery storage project in Holden, Massachusetts, which will serve HMLD and its customers. Developed in partnership with the Massachusetts Municipal Wholesale Electric Company (MMWEC), the 5MW/22MWh battery project will charge during low-cost periods of low energy demand, and discharge during higher-cost peak demand periods. This peak-shaving approach enables significant energy savings and environmental benefits for HMLD customers.

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Massachusetts electeds cut ribbon on new Holden energy project (Photo: Business Wire)

In recognition of the project’s commencement of operations, the day’s events included an on-site press conference featuring Massachusetts Undersecretary of Energy Michael Judge, State Representative Kimberly Ferguson, State Senator Peter Durant and other local representatives.

“We are proud to be able to provide the citizens of Holden reliable energy at competitive rates, while staying ahead of state goals to advance non-carbon-emitting power generation,” said Barry Tupper, General Manager at HMLD. “We see battery storage as a key solution to mitigating the impacts of rising capacity and transmission costs for our community. Thanks to Lightshift and MMWEC, we are projected to save our customers at least $10 million throughout the lifecycle of the battery energy storage facility at the Chaffins Substation.”

The Town of Holden began as a farming region before becoming home to more developed villages built around the available hydropower in the form of local streams and rivers. Today, it is carving a path for the community to benefit from another form of low carbon energy technology: battery energy storage.

This project is a result of a first-of-its-kind program by Lightshift and MMWEC, deployed in May 2024, to bring energy storage systems to several of the joint action agency’s member utilities. Holden marks the first project commencing operations within the program, which Lightshift estimates will provide more than $200 million in energy savings across Massachusetts.

“The municipal light plants in Massachusetts have been out in front on energy storage — starting with the Sterling Municipal Light Department energy storage project in 2016, followed by several additional projects as part of MassCEC’s Advancing Commonwealth Energy Storage (ACES) grant program,” says Jason Viadero, MMWEC’s Director of Energy Assets. “The HMLD project kicks off a broader 50-megawatt effort with Lightshift, and further demonstrates that MMWEC and the municipal light plants are committed to peak demand management and renewable integration to meet the demands of electrification and net zero emissions by 2050.”

“Massachusetts leaders including myself are optimistic about the opportunities renewable infrastructure is unlocking to accelerate the Commonwealth’s path toward net-zero by 2050,” said Representative Kimberly Ferguson. “I am inspired by the collaboration and technological execution the Holden Municipal Light Department, MMWEC and Lightshift demonstrated.”

“Holden deserves a lot of credit for its leadership in embracing new energy technology to drive major cost savings and environmental benefits for the community,” said Lightshift Co-founder and Managing Partner Rory Jones. “This project is a win for everyone. Not only is it a financial resource for the community, it’s an environmental resource for the planet and a pressure release valve for an increasingly strained electric grid. Our team is proud to bring another impactful project online with another great partner in Holden.”

Lightshift also announced a $10,000 donation to the Holden Fire Department to support its Drone Program, which is introducing high-tech drones with advanced thermal imaging into its emergency efforts across the community. This is the latest example of Lightshift’s “Giving Back” program to shore up local resources for critical community organizations.

The MMWEC and Lightshift program also includes projects already underway in the towns of Groton and Paxton, with early and mid-stage development activities moving forward in other communities across the state.

About Lightshift Energy

Lightshift Energy is a utility-scale energy storage project developer, owner and operator headquartered in Arlington, Virginia. Founded in 2019, Lightshift is developing a diverse, multi-gigawatt pipeline of energy storage projects, located throughout the U.S. With leading energy storage analytics, application design, finance, and development expertise, Lightshift deploys dynamic, multi-use energy storage projects that maximize value for utilities and other partners, while reinvesting directly into the communities where their projects are located. For more information, please visit www.lightshift.com.

About Holden Municipal Light Department

The Holden Municipal Light Department is a Town department that is the local electric utility, which serves only the Town of Holden. It is one of 40 municipal light departments in Massachusetts and was established by Town Meeting in September 1911 and delivered its first electricity in January 1912. In 1911, $600 was approved to “install an electric lighting system in the Town Hall, Damon Memorial, two engine houses, the Rice School and the School house in Jefferson.” Since then, the Department has expanded to provide reliable and efficient electric power and services to over 7,600 customers within the Town with annual sales exceeding $18 million and about 107 million KWH. The Board of Selectmen acts as Light Commissioners and is assisted by the Municipal Electric Power Advisory Board, which is consulted on various Department matters. Over 100 years of public power / public service.

About the Massachusetts Municipal Wholesale Electric Company (MMWEC)

MMWEC is the Commonwealth’s designated joint action agency for municipal utilities in Massachusetts. Through its enabling state legislation, Chapter 775 of the Acts of 1975, MMWEC became a not-for-profit, public corporation and political subdivision of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. MMWEC’s enabling legislation gave it the unique power to issue tax-exempt revenue bonds to finance electric generating facilities and other projects. Using this statutory authority, MMWEC has issued more than $7 billion in bonds since 1976. It is the largest provider of asset-owned generation for municipal light departments in New England.

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