- Wellesley Municipal Light Plant
Infobox_Company
company_name = Wellesley Municipal Light Plant (WMLP)
company_type = Public
company_
company_slogan = Dedicated to Excellence
foundation = 1892
location =
key_people = Richard F. Joyce, Director
Debra J. Healy, Business Manager
Donald H. Newell, Superintendent
Francisco Frias, Supervisory Electrical Engineer
James Verner, Line Supervisor
Peter Bracken, Line Supervisor
num_employees = 37 (2007)
industry = Electrical Transmission and Supply
revenue = US $21,649,000 (2005)
net_income = US $3,993,475(2006)
homepage = http://www.wellesleyma.govThe Town of Wellesley Municipal Light Plant (WMLP) is a town department responsible for the transmission and supply of
electricity to the residents and businesses in the town ofWellesley, Massachusetts . The headquarters of the WMLP is located at 455 Worcester Street,Wellesley, Massachusetts , and shares its grounds with the WellesleyFire Department Headquarters and Town of Wellesley Department of Public Works.The WMLP serves 9,954 customers, of whom 8,812 are residential, 1,138 are commercial, and 4 are industrial. The largest customers (by electric demand) are
Wellesley College ,Babson College , Harvard Pilgrim, SunLife Financial, and Wellesley Office Park.The WMLP holds membership in Northeast Public Power Association (NEPPA), American Public Power Association (APPA), and the Municipal Electric Association of Massachusetts (MEAM Mass).
The WMLP has been the recipient of many awards and recognitions. It has received the NEPPA Commitment to Safety Award of 1986 - 1987, an American Public Power Association (APPA) award, and a gold award as a Reliable Public Power Provider in 2007 - 2008, to name a few. A municipal light plant does not produce electricity it stores it at substations and transforms high voltage to working home and commercial distribution within a sector. The WMLP has historically had some of the best electric rates in the country and has has long term contracts with major producers nationally. Today, WMLP works on the national grid purchasing blocks of power under contracts over time. Current power is produced from Niagara power of Canada and transferred to the US grid. 80% to 90% of this power is produced via a Hydro Electric metholds from the Great Lakes and is among the least expensive and cleanest in the US, with no bi - products other than mild PCB generation from spent generators. Subsequently, the electric rates in Wellesley are very cost effective and residents have perhaps the best rates in the Northeast if not the United States on a per mil watt cost per household.
History of the WMLP
The Wellesley Municipal Light Plant was founded on
December 13 ,1892 as the Wellesley Electric Light Division of the Town of Wellesley Department of Public Works. Unlike most municipal light plants at the time, the Town of Wellesley built an entirely new plant for its new electric division instead of buying existing facilities.In 1892,
Wellesley recorded a permanent population of 5,072 citizens. Wellesley Electric Light, however, serviced none of these people. In the beginning, Wellesley Electric Light purchased all of its current from the Natick Gas & Electric Company in neighboringNatick, Massachusetts , and devoted its capabilities exclusively to street lighting. A report from the Massachusetts Commission gives the first record of service to private customers in Wellesley onJuly 1 ,1904 , almost twelve years after the foundation of Wellesley Electric Light.The Edison Electric Illuminating Company of Boston, or Boston Edison (BECo; now
NSTAR ), operated in Wellesley alongside the Wellesley Electric Light Division. From 1904 until 1906, BECo rendered commercial lighting services in the town. In 1906, Wellesley Electric Light took control of the commercial lighting in the town and has distributed and managed the current for commercial lighting ever since.Wellesley's proximity to
Boston and its strictly suburban feel instigated a population growth that gained intensity afterWorld War II , akin to most other suburbs throughout theUnited States . As Wellesley's population increased and wealthier people moved into the town, Wellesley'sinfrastructure andcommerce grew rapidly. These changes provided Wellesley Electric Light with more customers and greaterrevenue .With the large amounts of money Wellesley Electric Light was accumulating, the department upgraded and built more of its electrical system with new
substation s, overhead powerlines, and underground electric lines to support the increasing electric use. In 1959 thesubstation on Weston Road (Station 378) was completed. Thissubstation was modified in 1970 and completely reconstructed in 2005. In 1967 thesubstation on Cedar Street (Station 453) was built, and in 1968 a newsubstation (Station 41) was completed and began distributing power to Wellesley Hills, effectively halting the originalsubstation 's use.Today, the WMLP has a total of 33 distribution lines throughout
Wellesley and owns nine supply lines, six from theNSTAR substation inNewton, Massachusetts and three from theNSTAR substation inNeedham, Massachusetts . Thevoltage supplied from the aforementionedsubstation s in Newton and Needham enter Wellesley at 13,800 kV and are either distributed through the town at 13.8 kV or, through thesubstation s and stepdowntransformer s, distributed at 4 kV.Facts about the WMLP
The Wellesley Municipal Light Plant utilizes state of the art equipment and maintains a large facility for its machinery and stock.
The WMLP buildings are composed of a garage (which includes an outside
transformer and cable yard, stockroom, and linemen's room), a utilities building, a "new"substation (Station 41), and an "old"substation . As of June 2007, the current WMLP garage is scheduled for demolition and a brand new, state of the art garage is planned for construction. The "old"substation , which is an historical building dating back to the 1920s is primarily used for storage, while the "new"substation , built in 1968, serves its respective purpose. Aside from thesubstation on the grounds of the WMLP, it owns two other main substations throughoutWellesley . One of thesesubstation s (Station 378) was rebuilt and renovated with new equipment from 2005 to 2006.The WMLP fleet consists of 23
vehicles . These vehicles are: two diggers, aforklift , two cable trucks (for underground electric lines), fivebucket truck s, an electrician truck, adump truck , a fire alarm/street light van, a meter reading van, fourpickup trucks , and five management vehicles.The WMLP holds a unique position within the
municipality . For more than 100 years, the WMLP was officially a DPW department and known as the Wellesley Electric Light Division. However, in the year of 1994, the WMLP acquired independent town department status within themunicipality and is a separate entity from the DPW. The WMLP answers to the Municipal Light Plant Board while the DPW answers to the Board of Public Works.Devens
The WMLP services the recently established town of
Devens, Massachusetts , located in theMontachusett region inMiddlesex County . A large area of theFort Devens army base was converted into aplanned community in the late 1990s. The WMLP is responsible for the electrical supply of the approximately 120 residences and 180 commercial enterprises. The WMLP also maintains supply lines which provide electricity to the remainingFort Devens military establishment. This contract, however, is complex due to security concerns. The military takes control of the supply lines at a certain point along the system and maintains and operates its own electrical infrastructure within the base.Organization of the WMLP
The WMLP is a town department, composed of 37 employees working in management, customer service, and electric line work positions.
The WMLP management consists of a Director, Business Manager, Superintendent, Supervisory Electrical Engineer, and two Line Supervisors (one of whom is responsible for
Devens ). The WMLP also employs an Accountant, Construction Engineer, Office Assistant, and six Customer Service Representatives. The Director of the WMLP is Richard F. Joyce, the Business Manager is Debra J. Healy, and the Superintendent is Donald H. Newell.The WMLP employs 14 electric line workers. These include three Crew Leaders, six First Class
Linemen , three Second ClassLinemen , one Lead Cable Splicer, and one ApprenticeLineman . In addition to the line workers, the WMLP employs a Lead Meter Reader, twoSubstation Operators, a full-time Stockkeeper, a part-time Stockkeeper, an Engineering Technician, a Fire Alarm/Traffic Signal Specialist, and a Class AElectrician .This information is correct as of July 1, 2007.
afety at the WMLP
The WMLP retains a good safety record, with streaks of 568 days and 998 days without a work-related injury. The current record of the WMLP is 633 days (as of June 26, 2007). This is a notable feat, as Electric Line Work is rated 8 in the top 10 most dangerous jobs in the
United States . [http://money.cnn.com/2005/08/26/pf/jobs_jeopardy/]The WMLP makes it mandatory that all of its employees attend frequent safety presentations and that they practice real-world safety operations, both planned and unplanned. In addition to the various safety presentations and demonstrations, the WMLP has a Safety Committee that meets monthly.
Miscellaneous facts
* The
Net Worth of the WMLP is $74,701,176 as of July 2007.
* The WMLP provides broadband services.
* In 2005,kWh sales were 235,275,937.
* The stationtransformer capacity is 78Megawatts .
* The WMLP's Peak Demand is 65.076Megawatts .
* On August 2, 2006, the WMLP hit an all time electric consumption high of 65,076kW around 4:00PM, as temperatures soared to 102°F .Photos
References
* Adams, Alton D., "Municipal Gas and Electric Plants in Massachusetts", "The Journal of Political Economy", Vol. 10, No. 2. (Mar., 1902), pp. 214-229.
* Dorau, Herbert B., "Municipal Ownership in the Electric Light and Power Industry of Massachusetts", "The Journal of Land & Public Utility Economics", Vol. 3, No. 3. (Aug., 1927), pp. 298-307.
* Municipal Electric Lighting, "Publications of the American Statistical Association", Vol. 5, No. 40 (Dec., 1897), pp. 381-382.
* Porter, Charles H., "A Comparison of Public and Private Electric Utilities in Massachusetts","The Journal of Land & Public Utility Economics", Vol. 7, No. 4 (Nov., 1931), pp. 394-438.External links
* [http://money.cnn.com/2005/08/26/pf/jobs_jeopardy/ America's Most Dangerous Jobs]
* [http://wellesleyma.virtualtownhall.net/Pages/WellesleyMA_WMLP/RP3%20Award Reliable Public Power Provider recognition article]
* [http://www.wellesleyma.gov Town of Wellesley]
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.