Utilities, Wind  -  September 9, 2020

Maryland water utility to offset energy use 30% with wind farm

The Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission (WSSC) announced Sept. 8 that it has entered into an agreement that will offset their energy usage through 2030 with power and RECs from a 50 MW wind facility.

WSSC Water chose Direct Energy Business through a year-long Request For Proposal process to be the electric service provider responsible for the project. The power and RECs purchased from the Sandy Ridge Wind project in Blair and Centre Counties, Penn., will help the utility with their internal greenhouse gas emissions reduction plan and offset 30% of their electricity use.

Direct Energy Business will purchase the energy on behalf of WSSC Water from Liberty Power, who owns the wind facility. Liberty Power has committed to generating up to 70,000 MWh of electricity and associated renewable attributes annually.

"Producing safe, reliable drinking water to 1.8 million customers and returning clean to our environment requires energy – a lot of energy," Rob Taylor, Energy Manager at WSSC Water, said in a statement. "As one of Maryland's largest energy consumers, and an agency dedicated to environmental stewardship, WSSC Water is constantly examining how we can be cleaner and greener in our energy use. This partnership will help us accomplish these goals by reducing GHG emissions by 10% every five years through 2050."

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