NSTAR Goes Green: Unique Program Offers Renewable Option for Customers Program Directly Tied to Regional Wind Generation Projects

(Boston , MA , July 24, 2007) NSTAR Electric customers who want to support renewable energy and reduce their impact on the environment have a new option: NSTAR Green. The unique program is the result of a collaborative effort between the company and Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley, the Union of Concerned Scientists, the Conservation Law Foundation, and Environment Massachusetts. NSTAR Green allows customers to purchase half or all of their electric supply directly from wind farms in the Northeast. Power purchased through NSTAR Green would reduce reliance on fossil fuels that are traditionally used to meet the region’s electricity demand.

“Now more than ever, our customers are looking for ways to meet their energy needs in a sustainable way that has minimal impact on the environment,” said Thomas J. May, NSTAR Chairman, President and CEO. “We wanted to offer a green rate that not only gives customers a choice but also helps stimulate renewable energy development.”

NSTAR has signed two 10-year contracts, one with PPM Energy to receive 30 megawatts of clean electricity from the Maple Ridge Wind Farm in upstate New York , and another with TransCanada Corporation for 30 megawatts from the Kibby Wind Power Project currently under development in Maine . Customers who opt to enroll in NSTAR Green will pay a premium of either 1.75 cents or 3 cents/kWh more than the active Basic Service price, depending on which option they choose.

“We are very excited by NSTAR’s long term commitment to wind energy and by their green power program,” said Alan Nogee, Clean Energy Program Director of the Union of Concerned Scientists. “This program gives customers the choice of paying a little more to get electricity generated with zero air pollution or global warming impacts, and will reduce the cost of supplying renewable energy to all customers.”

NSTAR has worked to make NSTAR Green a one-stop-shopping option. Pending approval from the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities, NSTAR will begin enrolling customers in the fall, with service beginning in January.

“The long-term commitments at the heart of this initiative are key catalysts to bringing renewable energy online in New England . This is an important step forward in the battle against climate change,” said Phil Warburg, President of Conservation Law Foundation.

NSTAR is the largest Massachusetts-based, investor-owned electric and gas utility. The company transmits and delivers electricity and natural gas to 1.4 million customers in Eastern and Central Massachusetts , including more than one million electric customers in 81 communities and 300,000 gas customers in 51 communities. For more information, visit www.nstar.com.