With latest announcement, the Healey administration eyes how to move power plants past fossil fuels

Until now, the conversation about the clean energy transformation in Massachusetts has largely revolved around building more: wind, solar, battery storage — all of it.

But it’s not enough just to build, the Healey administration acknowledged in an announcement Wednesday morning. Moving forward, there needs to be plans for how to shut down or convert existing fossil fuel power plants, such as the so-called peaker plants that run on oil or gas and fire up on the coldest and hottest days.

Kyle Murray, director of state program implementation at the clean energy advocacy group Acadia Center, said the formation of the advisory board was “exciting,” and exactly the kind of approach that’s needed to address the thorny issues the state is wrestling with. But in order to be effective, he’s hoping to see its scope broadened.

“The major question to solve, obviously, is the sprawling gas system that we have in place right now,” he said. “These priorities are parts of it, but it’s also figuring out how we get beyond all those pipes in the ground, what we do with it, and how we electrify everything.”

To read the full article from the Boston Globe, click here.