Seattle’s Sound Transit executed an innovative 10-year agreement with Puget Sound Energy (PSE) that will allow Link light rail trains to run on 100% clean energy starting in 2019.
The agreement, the first of its kind in Washington state, will enable Sound Transit to purchase wind energy directly from PSE’s Green Direct program.
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“This innovative agreement with Puget Sound Energy sets Sound Transit as a leader in providing clean energy services,” said Sound Transit CEO Peter Rogoff. “By operating Link light rail on green power starting in 2019, Sound Transit will offer transit users a carbon-neutral option for leaving their cars behind and help reduce the region’s greenhouse gas emissions.”
Sound Transit’s 2015 Sustainability Plan and the voter-approved Sound Transit 3 ballot measure commit the agency to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, expand the use of renewable energy, and make all facilities and electricity carbon-neutral by 2030. The agreement will also help the agency lower its exposure to future utility price increases, potentially reduce long-term operating costs, and stabilize 42% of its electricity production charges over the duration of the contract. There is no capital cost for entering into this agreement.
A collaboration between Puget Sound Energy, PSE customers, the World Resources Institute, and World Wildlife Fund, Green Direct is a new program that allows customers to partner with PSE to achieve their environmental goals. The program paves the way for constructing wind-power facilities and offer users another energy-efficient option for purchasing safe and reliable electric service. Green Direct was approved by the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission on Sept. 29, 2016.
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