Renewable Energy Choice & Local Benefits Come to More Contra Costa Communities

On July 20, MCE’s Board of Directors voted to add nine new Contra Costa communities to its service area, including Concord, Danville, Martinez, Moraga, Oakley, Pinole, Pittsburg, San Ramon, and unincorporated Contra Costa County.

The addition of 237,000 new Contra Costa customers will double the amount of renewable energy produced by MCE, increasing clean energy use in California’s energy market by approximately 763,898 MWh per year, while reducing greenhouse gas emissions by an estimated 92,533 metric tons annually.

MCE electricity service to new Contra Costa customers will begin in the spring of 2018, but the MCE team is already delivery on promises important to the new member communities, including:

• Signing a multi-trade project labor agreement for medium- and large-scale solar projects in Contra Costa, to be union-built and to create local jobs.
• Collaborating with Future Build in Pittsburg to establish MCE’s first local call center and train local workers in call center service, creating new jobs and growing the local economy.
• Working with the City of Concord to locate MCE’s East Bay office in the downtown area, adding economic and job benefits.
•  
• Constructing a 49-acre solar project, using local labor and local businesses in Richmond, which will be the largest public solar array in the Bay Area. Over 340 jobs have been created and many are now filled by RichmondBUILD graduates and local businesses like Contra Costa Electric, Goebel Construction, Net Electric, The Newtron Group, and Overaa.

“In today’s economic climate where many struggle with the rising cost of living in the Bay Area, it is great to have MCE supporting training programs that can position our residents to successfully compete for life-changing job opportunities” said Joe Sbranti, Pittsburg City Manager.

“Contra Costa County has a rich history of energy-related industry and labor,” said Contra Costa Supervisor Federal Glover. “We are glad to see the steps MCE is already taking to bring new jobs and green technology to the Northern Waterfront, and to the rest of the County.”
“MCE is excited to be partnering with Contra Costa County in so many ways,” said Dawn Weisz, CEO of MCE. “We have shared objectives, and connecting the County’s vision of building community resilience with MCE’s mission to address climate change by reducing energy-related greenhouse gas emissions has already produced tangible results. Together we can create big results that help Contra Costa County thrive, and aid California in reaching its ambitious greenhouse gas reduction goals.”

“As we advance on our goals set in the Compact of Mayor’s in Paris, Richmond’s partnership with MCE is like a gift that keeps giving. The communities that are joining MCE are making substantial impacts with their leadership to drive local and global progress for environmental and social justice,” said Mayor Tom Butt of Richmond.