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FirstLight Announces Recipients of 2026 FirstLight Sustains Grant Program

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Daily News

BURLINGTON — FirstLight, a leading clean power producer, developer, and energy storage company, announced that 17 organizations will receive funding through the company’s FirstLight Sustains competitive grant program. This program has awarded more than $310,000 to nearly 70 organizations over the last four years to support schools, municipalities, and nonprofit organizations that promote community building and sustainability in areas where FirstLight operates across Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Pennsylvania.

“We are proud to see the FirstLight Sustains program continue to grow in its fourth year. There was tremendous interest in the program this year,” said Andy Brydges, director of Community Relations at FirstLight. “It is an honor to support organizations making a meaningful impact in the communities where we live and work. This year’s grants reflect our continued commitment to sustainability and community enrichment, supporting efforts in areas like environmental education, public safety, accessibility, and vital social services.”

The five 2026 FirstLight Sustains grant recipients in Massachusetts include the Montague Police Department, which will procure specialized water rescue and safety equipment, including 14 river-capable personal flotation devices and 14 rescue throw bags; Northfield EMS, which will purchase equipment and training materials to support educational programs in community settings; the town of Gill, which will expand its historic municipal common with the addition of a third Veteran’s Memorial monument covering military actions from the Vietnam War to the present; the Turners Falls Fire Department, which will replace water rescue dry suits, rope, rigging equipment, flotation devices, and a rescue boat; and the Western Massachusetts Climbers Coalition, which will secure permanent public access to the iconic Farley Ledges climbing area and support the formal establishment of conservation restrictions on a newly acquired adjacent parcel.

“The town of Gill extends its sincere thanks to FirstLight for supporting this important community project through this year’s FirstLight Sustains Program,” said Ray Purington, Gill’s town administrator. “With FirstLight’s partnership, we’re able to preserve our community’s history, recognize the sacrifices of our veterans, and create a lasting tribute for future generations.”

The selected projects reflect the diverse needs and priorities of the communities FirstLight serves, from environmental conservation and educational programming to public safety, food access, and infrastructure improvements.

The FirstLight Sustains review and selection committee prioritizes two key areas: Climate Action & Education grants that raise awareness, foster appreciation, and improve access to conservation and sustainability initiatives, while supporting the protection, restoration, and enhancement of natural resources; and Community Building grants that fund projects aimed at strengthening places people live and work through public safety enhancements, public art, placemaking, and community-driven services.

FirstLight, Energy New England Expand Partnership

By
Daily News

BURLINGTON — FirstLight, a leading clean power producer, developer, and energy storage company, announced the expansion of the company’s landmark municipal utility power purchase agreement (PPA) with Energy New England (ENE).

As part of the agreement, 21 New England municipal public power entities — including, locally, Westfield Gas & Electric — have agreed to purchase 197 gigawatt hours per year of clean, local, cost-competitive hydropower produced by two of FirstLight’s hydroelectric facilities in Massachusetts. The original PPA between FirstLight and ENE’s customer group was executed in 2020, and at the time, it represented one of the largest municipal electric department purchases of clean energy in New England history.

The expanded PPA will extend through 2040 and will provide enough energy to support the year-round power demands of approximately 20,000 homes in the participating communities per year for the duration of the deal, while allowing the municipal electric departments to keep costs low for ratepayers. All ENE member municipalities already meet Massachusetts’ requirement for municipal utilities to obtain 50% of their power supply from carbon-free sources by 2030, well ahead of the mandated deadline.

“We are proud to expand our successful collaboration with Energy New England and the 21 ambitious municipal utilities who’ve proven through strategic action that clean energy, affordability, and reliability can coexist to meet the energy needs of our communities without compromising on cost or service,” said Justin Trudell, president and CEO of FirstLight.

“As the clean energy future that we’re working toward faces new roadblocks, the value of existing clean energy generation has never been clearer,” he added. “FirstLight’s clean hydroelectric projects throughout New England have powered our communities for generations, providing good paying union and non-union jobs, creating accessible recreation spaces for the public to enjoy, and, through agreements like this one, supporting participating communities by delivering a reliable clean energy product and needed cost certainty during otherwise uncertain times.”

In addition to the original PPA structured with ENE in 2020, a subsequent expansion in 2022, and this expansion through 2040, FirstLight has executed a number of additional agreements with individual New England municipal utilities.

“We are excited to expand our partnership with FirstLight, and are incredibly proud that, despite headwinds with clean energy expansion, our members have doubled down on transitioning to clean energy sources and, years ahead of the Commonwealth’s mandate, have achieved power portfolios comprised of at least 50% clean resources,” said John Tzimorangas, president and CEO of Energy New England. “Our members have shown that these long-term procurements with existing clean energy resources and trusted partners like FirstLight are not only beneficial in supporting compliance with state mandates, but they also provide the reliable, local, and cost-competitive electricity our ratepayers depend on us to deliver.”

Through the expanded agreement, participating municipal utilities will receive power and equivalent renewable energy credits from FirstLight’s Cabot and Turners Falls hydroelectric facilities. FirstLight’s Cabot Generating Station, located on the Connecticut River in Montague, is Massachusetts’ largest conventional hydropower facility. First put into service in 1916, the facility comprises six generating units with combined output of 62 megawatts, enough to power more than 50,000 homes. Turners Falls, just upstream of Cabot, consists of five generators with combined output of six megawatts, and was commissioned in 1905.