Page 6 - BusinessWest October 12, 2020

The Clock Is Ticking
Eversource Sets Ambitious Goal of Carbon Neutrality by 2030
JBy George O’Brien
im Hunt has one of those countdown clocks on his com- puter.
But unlike most of these mechanisms — which will tick down the minutes until a presi-
dential debate starts or the months and days until the next summer Olympics will commence — this one has a very long end date. Or not so long, depending on who you’re talk- ing with.
That would be 2030, the date by which Eversource Energy, which Hunt serves as senior vice president of Regulatory Affairs and chief Com- munications officer, intends to be carbon-neutral.
It’s an ambi-
tious target, and
therefore the
next 10 years
will certainly
go by quickly
as a result, said
Hunt, not-
ing that, while
other utilities,
especially those
that are still ver-
tically integrat-
ed and generate
power as well
as distribute it, have also set goals for carbon neutrality, most have set their clocks to 2050, 2040, or perhaps 2035.
“
This is
the most ambitious strategy for any utility in the country.”
“This is the most ambitious strat- egy for any utility in the country,” he told BusinessWest. “But we also have one of the strongest clean-energy and carbon-reduction policies from our state as well. So we think we can dem- onstrate to other utilities and to the world that, while these may be aggres- sive, they are attainable, and we’re
Jim Hunt, Eversource’s vice president of Regulatory Affairs and chief Communications officer.
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OCTOBER 12, 2020
FEATURE
BusinessWest