As part of its continued investment in scaling the emerging technologies needed to tackle the most urgent climate challenges and achieve net zero emissions by 2050, the Department of Energy’s Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations (OCED) has selected Eversource to receive up to $19.5 million in federal cost share to build upon the success of its award-winning 24.9 MW Outer Cape Battery Energy Storage System (BESS).
In addition to improving reliability and resiliency, the Outer Cape Microgrid Optimization Project will deliver significant workforce development benefits targeted to environmental justice communities and to Tribal members.
Together with Cape Cod Community College, Eversource plans to develop a clean energy jobs pipeline program with stakeholders as part of the project to provide well-paying career opportunities for tribal members and residents of environmental justice communities to drive greater diversity in the clean energy industry.
As part of Eversource’s continued commitment to equity the plan includes collaborating with a diverse group of stakeholders to design a Community Advisory Council that will provide inputs on the signing of a community benefit agreement, as well as recommendations on the implementation of the program. As the project continues, Eversource is committed to closely collaborating with the Community Advisory Council, which will include the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe, and all its stakeholders to ensure an inclusive and participatory process that hears and addresses the unique needs of the community.
“Eversource has expressed a sincere commitment to fostering Tribal collaboration and support for our clean energy development initiatives, including for a process that will lead to a comprehensive workforce development plan tailored to the needs and aspirations of the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe aimed at creating sustainable, well-paying jobs in the clean energy sector,” said Chairman Weeden.
“As we work together to advance this unique project, we look for-ward to Eversource approaching this collaboration with a deep sense of respect for the Wampanoag Tribe’s historical challenges and expect an improved spirit of procedural equity, distributional equity, and structural equity.”
The Outer Cape Microgrid Optimization project will expand upon Eversource’s comprehensive commitment to equity and environmental justice and its investment in more resilient, flexible infrastructure to combat the impacts of climate change, enable electrification, increase renewable energy production, meet the future energy needs of customers, as well as support the commonwealth’s ambitious decarbonization and energy equity goals.
