On October 28, 2015, the Town of Cheshire filed with the Department of Public Utilities (DPU) a petition for approval of its Aggregation Plan pursuant to M.G.L. c. 164, § 134. The DPU docketed the Town’s original petition as D.P.U. 15-91. On December 30, 2015, the DPU issued an Order approving the Town’s Aggregation Plan, concluding that it was consistent with the requirements established in M.G.L. c. 164, § 134. Under the Town’s existing Aggregation Plan, the Town has established a Community Choice Power Supply Program in which the Town aggregates the load of electric consumers located within the Town’s borders in order to procure competitive supply of electricity for Program participants. Eligible consumers are automatically enrolled in the Program unless they choose to opt-out. The Town retained Colonial Power Group, Inc. (CPG) as a consultant to assist in the design, implementation, and administration of the Plan and Program.
The Town of Cheshire’s revised Aggregation Plan remains consistent with the requirements of M.G.L. c. 164, § 134. The revised Plan addresses the required provisions for organizational structure, operations, funding, activating and terminating the Plan, methods for entering and terminating agreements, rate setting and other costs to participants, universal access, equitable treatment of ratepayers, reliability, and rights and responsibilities of participants. The revised Plan, similar to other Community Choice Power Supply Programs administered by CPG, incorporates several innovative features that best address these requirements in the context of the objectives of the Town. Pursuant to the DPU’s Order in D.P.U. 14-100, City of Lowell’s Revised Municipal Aggregation Plan (March 2, 2015), the Town has distributed the revised Plan for public review prior to submitting it to the DPU.
Basic Service rates change twice a year or more, depending on rate class. As a result, the aggregation rate may not always be lower than the Basic Service rate. The goal of the aggregation is to deliver savings over the life of the Program against National Grid or Eversource Basic Service. However, such savings and future savings cannot be guaranteed.
Public Review and Comment Period
The Town of Cheshire’s Aggregation Plan is available for public review and comment from Thursday, April 23, 2020, at 5 p.m. through Friday, May 15, 2020, at 5:00 p.m.
Any person who desires to comment may submit written comments using one of the following methods: (1) by e-mail to [email protected]; or (2) by postal mail to the address below.
Comments must be clearly marked Town of Cheshire’s Aggregation Plan and must be received (not postmarked) by the end of the comment period in order to be addressed.
Edmund St. John IV
Town Administrator
Town of Cheshire
80 Church Street
P.O. Box 647
Cheshire, MA 01225
Any questions pertaining to this should be directed to Ed St. John, Town Administrator at (413) 743-1690 ext. 18.
Click below to read the Town of Cheshire’s Aggregation Plan:
Town of Cheshire’s Aggregation Plan