A company with strong ties to the town wants to boost environmentalism across the state.
The Boston-based energy company NStar, which has its largest corporate office on NStar Way off University Avenue, has announced plans to provide customers with energy from wind farms in the Northeast.
In the program, called NStar Green, customers can opt to buy half or all of their electricity from wind farms. NStar has 10-year contracts with two energy companies that have wind farms. PPM Energy's Maple Ridge Wind Farm is in upstate New York. TransCanada Corp.'s Kibby Wind Power Project is expected to open in 2009.
``This has been a project we've been working on for quite some time,'' NStar spokesman Mike Durand said last week. ``It's a well thought-out program to offer customers a meaningful green rate option.''
Environmentalism, however, comes at a price.
Customers purchasing half their power from the wind farms will pay an additional 1.75 cents per kilowatt hour, and customers taking all their energy from the wind farms will pay an extra 3 cents per kilowatt hour.
Durand said the average residential customer uses 500 kilowatt hours per month, for an average bill of $90 to $100. Taking part in the wind farm option would bump the average bill by $8.75 to $15, depending on the service.
``At this time renewable energy does still cost slightly more than energy produced with fossil fuels,'' Durand said. ``As we promote renewable energy in the Northeast, we hope more (options) come online and make the price more competitive.''
NStar wants to begin enrolling customers in the fall and offering the service in January, but it first needs approval from the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities.
The department could not be reached for comment, but Durand said NStar does not expect any problems.
Current energy provided by NStar comes from a mix of natural gas, oil, nuclear power, coal and renewable sources. The company delivers electricity and natural gas to 1.4 million customers in eastern and central Massachusetts.
[cf330]Daily News staff writer Greg Duggan can be reached at 781-433-8355 or gduggan@cnc.com.
Westwood —
