ANNAPOLIS — Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission officials said yesterday that they now will buy one-third of their electricity from a Pennsylvania wind farm, a record deal for the purchase of renewable energy.
Agency officials expect to save $20 million a year on the deal brokered by Constellation Energy.
“We were able to lock in a significant portion of our energy costs for a long period of time and avoid passing on costs to our customers,” company spokesman Mike McGill said.
Maryland Lt. Gov. Anthony G. Brown is expected to join company executives next week in touring the agency’s Laurel filtration plant. The agency supplies drinking water to about 1.8 million customers across suburban Washington.
The 10-year contract marks the largest percentage of renewable energy purchased by a local government agency, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.
Agency officials say the reduction of carbon dioxide output as a result of the deal will be roughly equal to “taking 10,000 cars off the Capital Beltway.”
The wind farm is owned by the California-based Edison Mission Group. Constellation Energy buys and sells all of the energy from the farm.
“Clearly, people are looking for wind power. The fact of the matter is the market is demanding wind power,” said Frank Maisano, a spokesman for Mid-Atlantic wind developers. “They want renewable energy, and wind power is one of the most accessible sources of renewable energy.”
Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley, a Democrat, has had a rough relationship with Constellation Energy since taking office last year, including filing a lawsuit against parent company Baltimore Gas & Electric over customer rates.
He also frequently criticized his predecessor, Robert L. Ehrlich Jr., a Republican, for having close ties with the company.
The relationship has improved since Mr. O’Malley and the Democrat-controlled General Assembly approved a settlement with Constellation Energy that in part would help the company build a third nuclear reactor at Calvert Cliffs Power Plant.
However, Mr. O’Malley has expressed a mixed response to wind energy. He signed legislation last month doubling the amount of renewable energy the state would have to purchase but also is trying to stop the construction of wind turbines on public land.
Mr. O’Malley has said he does not oppose wind farms, just putting them on public land.
The state’s Public Service Commission is expected to rule soon on whether Clipper Windpower can construct 28 wind turbines in a Western Maryland park without having to go through the public-hearing process that has stalled other wind projects in the state.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.