The Western Massachusetts Electric Co. — a subsidiary of Hartford’s Northeast Utilities — has begun construction on its 2.2-megawatt solar facility in Springfield.
WMECo says its 8,200-panel Indian Orchard solar facility will bring $12 million in new construction and contribute $400,000 in property tax to the Massachusetts city.
WMECo officially chose the 12-acre Springfield site in January and began construction last week. The project is scheduled for completion by the end of the year.
The Indian Orchard facility is WMECo’s second solar facility in its service territory. The company late last year flipped the switch on its 1.8-megawatt Silver Lake solar facility in Pittsfield, Mass.
Massachusetts has a goal of installing 250 megawatts of solar electric generation by 2017. WMECo was the first company to receive approval for a Massachusetts solar facility, and has received approval to build six megawatts of solar by 2012.
WMECo serves 200,000 customers in 59 Massachusetts communities. It is one of four energy subsidiaries of Northeast Utilities, whose holdings also include Connecticut Light & Power and Connecticut natural gas supplier Yankee Gas.
