Middletown Supervisors Will Move Township Energy Contracts To Renewable Sources

Middletown Township will be purchasing all their electricity from renewable sources.

At their meeting Monday, the Middletown Township Board of Supervisors voted to approve a contract with Freepoint Energy Solutions to purchase energy from renewable sources starting May 1, 2023.

All township-owned buildings, properties, and streetlights will be using power from renewable sources, officials said.

Assistant Township Manager Nick Valla said locking in a contract now for next year will confirm a set rate as prices jump. The current and new rate are still lower than the township was paying under a previous contract several years ago.

The municipality is currently paying .05282 cents per kilowatt hour and the rate starting May 2023 will be .06899 per kilowatt hour, Valla said.

“By using renewable energy for government operations, municipalities can be a significant contributor to decarbonizing the electricity system and tackling climate change, especially in emissions-heavy markets like the Northeast. Local governments play an integral role in growing the renewables market and further  accelerating these trends to enable a clean energy future,” the township said in a statement.

In September 2021, the township approved a Climate Action Plan that is aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions that play a big factor climate change.

The report listed recommendations for the township.

Between 2021 and 2050, the township is recommended to switch police vehicles to electric, move at least half the public works fleet to electric, reduce the number of miles traveled per vehicle in Middletown Township by 30 percent, reduce use of traditional fossil fuels, grow carpooling and non-vehicle modes of transportation, increase use of public transportation, reduce municipal government energy use, improve efficiency of water distribution and treatment, and move to 100 percent green electrical energy by 2030.

“Making the switch to green energy brings us one step closer toward our goal of a community that can sustain  itself for generations to come” Middletown Township Supervisors Chairperson Mike Ksiazek said this week. “We are proud to  continue setting the standard for excellence in local government sustainability.” 

Also at the meeting, the supervisors approved the purchase and installation of two Level 2 electric vehicle charging stations in front of Styer Orchard Market, which owned by the township and leased to private operator, the Field family.

The charging stations will join two at the township building and two more at the public works facility.

Using grant money, the township will cover about $16,000 of the cost, but they will be on the hook for $25,442. The township will charge a fee for use to cover usage costs.

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