Middleborough Gas & Electric Department

What Middleborough Gas & Electric Department does

Middleborough Gas & Electric Department (MGED) is a municipally-owned public power utility that distributes electricity and natural gas to the communities of Middleborough and Lakeville in southeastern Massachusetts. Founded in 1893 after the town purchased the Middleboro Light and Power Company, MGED is the 6th oldest municipal light plant in Massachusetts and one of only four utilities in the state operating both an electric and a natural gas division. The utility is governed by an elected five-member Board of Commissioners, with Kenneth Stone serving as General Manager since 2021.

MGED's core products are regulated electricity distribution and natural gas distribution. Electricity supply is sourced through diversified wholesale channels including ownership interests in nuclear generation (Seabrook, Millstone), hydroelectric purchases (NYPA Niagara, Cabot, Turner Falls), a long-term contract for approximately 7% of the Saddleback Ridge Wind Project output in Maine (about 2.4 MW), and more than 16 MW of solar installations in its service area including community solar projects and a solar array on Middleborough High School. The utility's mPower OMS system handles outage reporting and street light problem tracking. New natural gas connections have been under moratorium since February 13, 2019 due to regional capacity constraints, though existing gas customers continue to receive full service.

The business model is a regulated rate-of-return municipal utility structure. Revenue is generated through tiered residential and commercial electric rates (e.g., $0.053/kWh distribution charge, $12.50/month customer charge, $0.1040/kWh purchased power charge) and a Purchased Gas Adjustment mechanism (currently $1.2927/CCF as of January 2026), with rates set by the Board of Commissioners rather than through competitive markets. Ancillary revenue and customer programs include home energy saving rebates, a Low-to-No Interest Energy Efficiency Loan Program, the +Green Choice voluntary renewable REC purchase program, solar/net metering credits, an Easy Budget Payment Plan, and discounted rates for senior and low-income customers. Distribution is direct through owned infrastructure, with customer billing handled via the InvoiceCloud online portal, pay-by-text, physical drop boxes, and walk-in payments at the 32 South Main Street administrative office.

Name

Middleborough Gas & Electric Department

Legal name

Middleborough Gas & Electric Department

Website

https://mged.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1893

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Middleborough Gas & Electric Department is a municipally-owned utility that distributes electricity and natural gas to residential and commercial customers in Middleborough and Lakeville, Massachusetts, operating as a regulated monopoly under an elected Board of Commissioners.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Plymouth

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Middleborough Gas & Electric Department (MGED) is a municipally-owned public power utility that distributes electricity and natural gas to residential and commercial customers in Middleborough and Lakeville, Massachusetts. The utility delivers service through owned electric distribution and natural gas pipeline infrastructure, supported by an online and in-person billing system, an mPower outage management portal, and a broad portfolio of rebate, net-metering, and energy-efficiency programs.

Product overview

Middleborough Gas & Electric Department (MGED) is a municipally-owned public power utility providing electricity and natural gas distribution services to the communities of Middleborough and Lakeville, MA. Founded in 1893, it is the 6th oldest municipal light plant in Massachusetts. The utility operates through two core services: Electric Service and Natural Gas Service (with a moratorium on new gas connections since 2019). MGED's product portfolio includes the core distribution services plus various add-on programs including home energy saving rebates, a Low-to-No Interest Energy Efficiency Loan Program, solar/net metering programs, community solar projects, Peak Alerts demand management notifications, the Easy Budget Payment Plan, Senior Rate and Low Income Rate discounts, and the +Green Choice renewable energy support program. The utility also offers outage management through its mPower OMS system and bill payment through InvoiceCloud's online portal.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Electric Service Municipal electricity distribution service for residential and commercial customers in Middleborough and Lakeville, MA. Includes new service installation, outage reporting via mPower OMS, and electricity supply sourced from regional generating plants across New England.
• Natural Gas Service

Quantifiable outcome

• Top 25% of utilities for System Average Interruption Duration Index (SAIDI) for 2025
• +2 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Saddleback Ridge WindcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2015MGED receives just under 7% of the project's output from this 34.2 MW, 12-turbine wind project in Carthage, Maine. Total of approximately 7.35 million kWh/year or 2.4 MW capacity. Long-term contract began in May 2015.
• MMWEC (Massachusetts Municipal Wholesale Electric Company)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMGED holds ownership interest in the Seabrook power station (nuclear) and Stony Brook Generation plant through MMWEC, a cooperative of Massachusetts municipal light plants. Stony Brook functions as an intermediate and peaking resource.
• Millstone Power StationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMGED owns a share of the output of the Millstone power station in Connecticut, part of their carbon-free nuclear energy supply portfolio.
• New York Power Authority (NYPA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMGED has reserved purchase of energy from the NYPA Niagara Hydroelectric Power Station (1961), a NY state/Northeast regional/federal power project. Also contracts for Massachusetts hydroelectric projects at Cabot and Turner Falls.
• Energy New EnglandminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMGED partners with Energy New England for energy efficiency programming and webinars. ENE's Bill Branton participates in virtual events discussing saving energy and home energy evaluations.
• South Shore Community Action Council (SSCAC)minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerSSCAC administers LIHEAP, HEARTWAP, and WAP Programs for Middleborough residents through their Home Energy Assistance Program, assisting with heating bills for primary heating sources.
• Citizens for CitizensminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerLakeville fuel assistance program administrator for LIHEAP, providing heating bill assistance during winter/spring season with various utility discounts including telephone, electric, and gas/oil discounts.
• Middleborough High SchoolminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMGED owns a solar array on Middleborough High School which provides energy and Renewable Energy Credits (RECs) to MGED's renewable energy portfolio.
• Community Solar ProjectsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMGED has 2 community solar projects as part of their 16+ MW of solar installations in the service area, allowing customers to participate in solar energy without individual installations.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Concord Municipal Light Plant: Municipal electric utility in Concord, MA, part of the same 40-utility Massachusetts public power community as MGED. Operates under identical regulatory and operating dynamics, making it a strong peer for community-owned utility benchmarks.
• Peabody Municipal Light Plant: Municipal electric utility serving Peabody, MA. Operates within the same Massachusetts municipal light plant framework as MGED with overlapping customer programs, rate structures, and reliability metrics.
• Chicopee Municipal Lighting Plant: Western Massachusetts municipal electric utility with similar size and scope to MGED. Shares the public power utility operating model, customer programs, and Massachusetts regulatory environment.
• Reading Municipal Light Plant: Municipal electric utility serving Reading, MA. Comparable in scale and operating philosophy to MGED, with similar customer programs and reliability focus under Massachusetts public power regulations.
• Braintree Electric Light Department (BELD): Municipal electric utility in Braintree, MA, also serving as a direct peer because MGED's current General Manager Kenneth Stone previously held various management roles there. BELD offers electricity distribution with similar community-owned structure and energy-efficiency programming.
• Wellesley Municipal Light Plant: Municipal electric utility serving Wellesley, MA, under the same Massachusetts public power framework as MGED. Similar size, customer base, and operating model, providing a clean peer benchmark for rates, reliability, and program offerings.
• Taunton Municipal Lighting Plant (TMLP): Massachusetts municipal light plant where MGED's General Manager Kenneth Stone began his utility career as a co-op student. TMLP provides electricity distribution in southeastern Massachusetts under a comparable municipal utility model, making it a closely aligned peer.

Broad incumbents

• Eversource Energy: Investor-owned utility providing electric and natural gas service across much of Massachusetts and the Northeast. While not directly competing in MGED's franchise, it sets the broader market benchmark for utility rates, reliability metrics, and customer programs in the region.
• National Grid (Massachusetts): Large investor-owned electric and natural gas utility serving most of Massachusetts outside of municipal utility territories. Relevant as a broad incumbent comparator for rates, service quality, and program design, even though it does not operate in MGED's exclusive territory.
• Unitil Corporation: Investor-owned utility operating electric and natural gas distribution systems in parts of Massachusetts and neighboring states. Comparable as a regional incumbent utility with similar dual-fuel structure to MGED's combined electric and gas operations.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/mgednews
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCwJ3tKf0vZ6lLVE4Klm4a0g
• Facebookfacebook.com/MGEDnews
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/middleborough-gas-and-electric-department

Compliance6 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles19 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Middleborough Gas & Electric Department