West Boylston Municipal Light Plant has installed its second energy storage project, the Massachusetts Municipal Wholesale Electric Company reported on June 3.
The consumer-owned, municipal utility serving the West Boylston, Mass., community recently interconnected a new utility-scale battery energy storage system (BESS) to its distribution system.
The department partnered with Convergent Energy & Power, a New York-based green energy supplier, to install the 3 megawatt, 9 megawatt hour battery.
By partnering with Convergent Energy, WBMLP can reap the benefits of the battery system without providing the upfront cost, making it the ideal financial option for WBMLP, MMWEC noted.
Convergent funded the battery project and entered into a shared savings contract with WBMLP so WBMLP and Convergent will both share the monthly electric savings provided by the battery. The contract is inked for the next 20 years, which has the potential for significant savings.
In 2018, the department installed a 16-unit 128 kilowatt/ 512 kilowatt hour mechanical flywheel energy storage system (FESS), the first of its kind in the Northeast, which is interconnected through the department’s 370-kilowatt solar project. The new battery is located adjacent to WBMLP’s solar and flywheel energy storage system.
Like the flywheel project, the BESS is expected to reduce WBMLP’s monthly transmission and annual capacity expenses by operating during peak hours.
“Our shared savings BESS project generates significant value for WBMLP without any risk or spending of our own capital,” says WBMLP General Manager Jonathan Fitch. “The knowledge and experience we gain from this BESS project will help future investments in our own BESS once battery chemistries are improved.”
The battery was installed in late 2025 and became fully operational on May 1, 2026.
