Ashburnham, Massachusetts, Utility Using DEP Grant To Install Downtown EV Charging Station

August 31, 2021

by Peter Maloney
APPA News
August 31, 2021

Ashburnham Municipal Light Plant (AMLP) plans to install an electric vehicle (EV) charging station using funds from the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (DEP).

The charging station will have four charging ports and is scheduled to be installed at Town Hall on Ashburnham’s Main Street before the end of 2021. The $28,158 grant comes from the Public Access Charging Program within the DEP’s Electric Vehicle Incentive Program.

AMLP applied for the grant with its joint action agency, the Massachusetts Municipal Wholesale Electric Company (MMWEC).

“This is a good thing for Ashburnham because receiving the grant allows additional capital planning to be earmarked for future EV installations,” Kevin Sullivan, AMLP’s general manager, said in a statement.

Sullivan also noted that the grant would help the public power utility align with Massachusetts’ carbon dioxide emission reduction goals. “This grant continues to move Ashburnham in the direction of carbon reduction by providing the impetus for electric vehicle purchases and expanding the EV infrastructure in town,” he said.

AMLP installed a Level 2 electric vehicle charging station at the town’s library in January 2020. The station was funded by a grant from Massachusetts’ Green Communities program, with additional financial support by AMLP and Ashburnham’s Economic Development Committee.

When the new charging station is installed at the Town Hall, Ashburnham will have six charging ports.

Massachusetts’ Global Warming Solutions Act of 2008 requires a 25 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from all sectors of the economy below the 1990 baseline emission level in 2020 and at least an 80 percent reduction in 2050.

The Massachusetts DEP’s Public Access Charging Program provides funding to property owners to cover a portion of the cost of electric vehicle charging stations accessible to the general public. There is $1.5 million allocated to the program, and applications are considered on a first-come, first-served basis until the funds are exhausted.

The Public Access Charging Program provides up to 80 percent of the cost of a charging station installed at non-government owned properties and up to 100 percent of the cost of installing a charger at a government owned property.

Applicants must commit to providing funds to cover any remaining costs of a charging station or its installation and all the operating and maintenance costs for three consecutive years after the charging station is in operation.

The American Public Power Association’s Public Power EV Activities Tracker summarizes key efforts undertaken by members — including incentives, electric vehicle deployment, charging infrastructure investments, rate design, pilot programs, and more. Click here for additional details.