Mayor Martin J. Walsh has announced that the city of Boston will issue a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) on August 27 for submissions from consulting firms to assist the City’s development, implementation, and administration, of a municipal electricity aggregation program. Submissions to the RFQ are due on October 10, 2018.
Boston takes next step toward implementation of Community Choice Aggregation.
“This is a big step toward rolling out Community Choice Aggregation because it will provide the expertise we need to get it done,” said Mayor Walsh. “We still need to make smart decisions on how to shape a program that’s best for Boston residents and can deliver on our commitment to clean energy.”
Community Choice Aggregation enables cities and towns to aggregate the buying power of individual electricity customers in their communities. Under a municipal aggregation program, cities and towns can automatically enroll residents who receive default electricity service from their utilities into a single, bulk buying group and may require a greater percentage of renewable energy content than the mandatory percentage set by the Massachusetts Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS).
“Community Choice Aggregation is an important contribution to reducing Boston’s carbon emissions,” said Chief of Environment, Energy and Open Space Chris Cook. “We’re excited to move ahead with the process and develop a program that can benefit the environment and most importantly our residents.”
The city is required to follow the steps toward a municipal aggregation as laid out by the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources (DOER), working in consultation with DOER and the selected consultant to prepare a plan and provide an opportunity for citizen review. In addition, the City will convene a community advisory committee which will inform the proposed plan and guide implementation. Once the program is approved by the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities, the City will be able to begin implementation of the program.
Earlier this year, the City’s Environment Department issued a Request for Information (RFI) on how to develop and manage a municipal electricity aggregation program. The information obtained will continue to inform the development of the program.
Mayor Walsh invested in the implementation of Community Choice Aggregation in the City’s Fiscal Year 2019 (FY19) budget.
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