Northeast Utilities to develop vehicle recharging station

April 8 -- Northeast Utilities has taken the initial steps to begin developing an electric vehicle recharging infrastructure in Connecticut and Massachusetts.

Two of its operating companies, The Connecticut Light & Power Co. and Western Massachusetts Electric Co., have applied for a U.S. Department of Energy grant to help fund the initiative. The utilities are proposing to build a network of 575 charging stations for plug-in electric vehicles over the next two years. They would be a combination of home-based, work-place and publicly accessible sites.

"We see extraordinary potential in electric transportation as one of the tools to help meet the environmental and energy policy objectives of our regional and national leaders," said James B. Robb, senior vice president of enterprise planning and development for Northeast Utilities. "The development of a charging infrastructure is important, both to support the adoption of these exciting new vehicles and to allow us to assess the impact on our electric distribution system."

Contact Waste & Recycling News reporter Joe Truini at 330-865-6166 or jtruini@crain.com