BOSTON, MA – Partners HealthCare announced today that it has entered into a contract with Antrim Wind Energy – a 28.8MW wind project in Antrim, New Hampshire, owned by Walden Green Energy -- that will reduce annual greenhouse gas emissions by 110 million pounds. The contract represents the largest direct-delivery renewable energy purchase by an end user in the Northeast and is part of Partners’ plan to become “net carbon positive” by 2025. “Partners HealthCare is committed to fighting climate change and our agreement with Antrim is an important part of that commitment,” said John Messervy, Corporate Director of Design and Construction, Partners HealthCare. “It will reduce CO2 emissions and create demand for renewable energy while reducing our long-term energy costs.” The Antrim contract is part of Partners’ plan to become “net carbon positive” by 2025. That means 100 percent of Partners’ energy will come from renewable sources and that Partners will support the generation of more renewable energy than it needs, making the surplus available to the markets and communities in which it operates. This contract is part of Partners’ plan to become “net carbon positive” by 2025. That means 100 percent of Partners’ energy will come from renewable sources and that Partners will support the generation of more renewable energy than it needs, making the surplus available to the markets and communities in which it operates. To reach that goal, Partners has adopted a three-part approach that includes a strategic energy master plan to reduce energy consumption by 30 percent (Partners has already achieved a 16 percent reduction since 2010)~;~ the deployment of on-site generation, which will further increase resiliency of operations while saving utility costs~;~ and a strategic procurement program (of which the Antrim agreement is the latest example) designed to source Partners’ energy needs from clean resources. Partners’ contract with Antrim will enable the construction of a wind farm with a total capacity of 28.8 MW and annual electric generation of nearly 95 million kWh. It will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 110 million pounds of CO2 per year – the equivalent of taking more than 10,000 cars permanently off the road. Partners will purchase 75 percent of the facility’s capacity. Construction is expected to be completed in 2019. “We are very pleased that our project will help Partners reach their industry-leading carbon goals,” said Henry Weitzner, founding partner of Walden Green Energy. “Entering into this contract required an innovative approach to market, credit and regulatory issues. With Partners’ support, this project will generate significant renewable energy, conserve over 900 acres of valuable land, generate 80 full-time-equivalent jobs during the construction period, and create $54m of economic benefit to the region.” In addition to the Antrim contact, Partners has in the past two years entered into solar agreements involving full ownership as well as both on-site and off-site power purchase agreements (PPAs). Together, the wind and solar agreements will represent 22 percent of Partners’ total electricity consumption."

Source: Partners