Burlington Electric Department Announces Extension of Vermont-Produced, Renewable Wind Power Agreement

The Burlington Electric Department (BED) today announced that it has extended a power purchase agreement for renewable wind power with the Sheffield Wind Farm, a 40 megawatt, 16-turbine wind farm in northeastern Vermont originally developed by First Wind. The current agreement delivers 16 megawatts of Vermont-produced electricity to BED’s 100 percent renewably-sourced portfolio. By extending the contract for five years, BED was successful in optimizing the price per megawatt hour (MWh) for the remaining and extended contract terms. The extension also demonstrates BED’s commitment to in-state renewable resources whenever practical.

“Including wind power in our energy mix is good for Burlingtonians,” said Mayor Miro Weinberger. “With this agreement to continue purchasing Vermont wind energy, we’re supporting our work to both keep rates low and pursue our Net Zero Energy goal.”

“Our contract extension with Sheffield Wind is part of BED’s ongoing strategy to source 100 percent of our power from renewable generation, with an emphasis on supporting local renewables in Vermont,” said Darren Springer, BED General Manager. “At the same time, we are very pleased that this agreement offers an even better price for our customers, and is helping BED enter our 11th consecutive year without a rate increase.”

The extended agreement provides incentives for Sheffield to assist in relieving some existing transmission constraints, which limit the ability to export renewable power from northeast Vermont.