Boston, Mass. – Joined by Wellesley Municipal Light Plant (WMLP), Wellesley town leaders and community members, Citizens Energy President Joe Kennedy III today flipped the switch to energize a 4.99-megawatt Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) in Wellesley. This groundbreaking project will provide electricity cost savings to residents during peak demand periods and provide emergency backup power to essential Town services in the event of a power outage.

With its six 20-foot battery containers and six inverter containers, the BESS project will have the capacity to store more than 20 megawatt-hours of energy, making it one of the larger municipal energy storage systems in the region.

“By partnering with municipalities like Wellesley, Citizens Energy is able to use its unique business model to deliver electricity cost savings while increasing energy resiliency and helping meet sustainability goals,” said Joe Kennedy III, President of Citizens Energy. “As we work towards a greener future, Citizens is committed to making clean energy accessible, affordable, and reliable — a commonsense solution for the Commonwealth and across the country.”

Located adjacent to a WMLP substation, the BESS project will charge and store energy during off-peak hours when demand and prices are lower, and discharge that energy during higher-cost periods of peak energy demand. This peak-shaving approach provides significant energy savings and environmental benefits for WMLP customers. In addition, the system will provide a reliable backup power source for essential municipal services, ensuring that critical facilities remain operational during emergencies.

“In partnership with Citizens Energy, this battery project leverages energy storage technology into cost savings for the WMLP and its customers while supporting the town’s climate goals. It represents a key element among many of our other initiatives towards building a more reliable, environmentally sustainable, and resilient electric system and community,” said David Wood, WMLP Director.

The BESS project is expected to yield more than $8 million in savings for WMLP ratepayers by reducing reliance on expensive peak power. By directly reducing the town’s peak demand that would otherwise be supplied from fossil fuel-based generation, the BESS project also aligns with the Town’s Climate Action Plan goal to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

“Wellesley residents are lucky to have such a forward-thinking municipal light plant. By reducing peak demand that is met by dirtier and more expensive power sources, this battery project will slash emissions and save customers money. It will also increase the Town’s resilience against power outages,” said Massachusetts Senate Majority Leader Cindy Creem. “The project is an example that the rest of Massachusetts should follow. That’s why I’m working on state-level policies to ensure that everyone in the Commonwealth can benefit from the deployment of energy storage systems.”

“I am happy to see Wellesley continue to lead the state in innovation, and I look forward to this model being used to upgrade energy solutions across the Commonwealth,” said House Assistant Majority Leader Alice H. Peisch. “The capability of this Battery Energy Storage System to provide electricity cost savings to residents during peak demand and emergency backup power for essential Town services is proof of the benefit of this new collaborative partnership between the Wellesley Municipal Light Plant and Citizens Energy.”

The BESS project is a collaborative effort involving the Town of Wellesley, WMLP, Citizens Energy, and its partners LS Energy Solutions and Schneider Electric.

This is Citizens Energy’s fourth completed BESS, with three others in Holyoke, Massachusetts, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and New Britain, Connecticut.

About Citizens Energy

Established in 1979 by former U.S. Representative Joseph P. Kennedy II, Citizens Energy Corporation is a non-profit energy company that develops for-profit business ventures to fund charitable assistance programs for low-income households and traditionally marginalized communities.

Citizens funds, develops, and builds renewable energy and high-voltage transmission projects that support a just clean-energy transition. It owns and operates America’s largest low-income community solar project in California’s Imperial Valley and is Massachusetts’ largest low-income community solar developer and operator.

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