Program implementation process

Implementing a municipal electricity aggregation program like Beverly Community Electric is a regulated process that is overseen by the the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities (DPU). The list below includes key milestones in the program implementation process.

1. City Council vote

 Beverly had to vote publicly to pursue aggregation.

2. Public review and comment

 In order to obtain the necessary regulatory approval to launch Beverly Community Electric, the City had to first create an Aggregation Plan and make it available for public review and comment. The Aggregation Plan is a high-level authorization document that lays out the program structure and demonstrates how Beverly will meet regulatory requirements.

  • Beverly’s Aggregation Plan was presented to the public on January 20, 2021, and made available for a 3-week public review and comment period.

3. Regulatory review and approval

 Beverly had to submit its Aggregation Plan to the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources (DOER) for review and then to the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities (DPU) for approval before the program could launch.

  • Beverly’s Aggregation Plan was reviewed by the Massachusetts DOER on February 16, 2021.
  • Beverly’s Aggregation Plan was submitted to the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities on March 17, 2021, and the DPU held a hearing to accept public comments on the plan on July 20, 2021.
  • Beverly’s Aggregation Plan received approval from the Massachusetts Department of Utilities on December 27, 2023.

4. Choosing an electricity supplier and signing an electricity supply contract

 Once the regulatory review process was complete and Beverly’s Aggregation Plan had received formal approval from the DPU, Beverly implemented a public procurement process to select and sign a contract with an electricity supplier. During this process, program details were finalized, including the amount of renewable energy in the program options and the price for each option.

  • Beverly signed a 20-month contract with First Point Power that will be in effect from May 2024 – January 2026.

5. Public notification and education

 After the electricity supply contract was signed, Beverly conducted a public engagement effort to inform the community about program details like price and renewable energy. This effort included public information sessions. In addition, a formal notification was sent from the City to each electricity account holder who was eligible for automatic enrollment in the program. The notification included information about program options and prices and how to opt out if they did not want to participate.

  • Mailing date of automatic enrollment notification – February 27, 2024.

6. Program launch

 At the conclusion of that public education effort, Beverly Community Electric launched. Any account on National Grid’s Basic Service was automatically enrolled in the program, unless they chose to opt out. (Automatic enrollment is state law.) Any electricity customer who had an electricity supply contract at that time was not eligible for automatic enrollment but was able to enroll quickly and easily if they wished.

  • Beverly Community Electric launched in May 2024.