FirstLight Power Elects Phil Giudice Board Chair
FirstLight Power, operator of Northfield Mountain energy storage facility and other hydroelectric, solar, and energy-storage assets in Massachusetts and Connecticut, has elected Phil Giudice as chair of its board of directors.
Mr. Giudice is a former Massachusetts Undersecretary of Energy and Commissioner of Energy Resources; a current director of the Northeast Clean Energy Council and advisory board member of the Union of Concerned Scientists; and a former executive and director for energy innovation startups Ambri, EnerNOC (now EnelX), FirstFuel (now Uplight), and Nexus (now Aclara). He joined FirstLight’s 6 member board in September 2019.
“I’m honored and excited to be chairing FirstLight’s board at this time to build on the century of operating clean, reliable hydropower for our cleaner energy future. Initially FirstLight’s resources powered the industrial revolution in Connecticut and Massachusetts and now are positioned to accelerate our transition to our decarbonized energy future harnessing the full potential of offshore wind, solar and electrification of our transportation and fossil end uses.”
“FirstLight’s Northfield Mountain, the largest storage resource in New England is well positioned to fulfill the needs identified in study after study to fully harness the economic and environmental benefits of the gigawatts of offshore wind now under development” Mr. Giudice added. “I also cherish the role FirstLight plays as steward of thousands of acres of beautiful land, rivers, and lakes enjoyed every year by hikers, boaters, campers, and so many other visitors.”
FirstLight CEO John Shue said: “In the time Phil has served as a director of FirstLight, he’s brought keen strategic insight to the boardroom and strengthened our connections with stakeholders throughout the energy industry, policymakers and regulators, and advocates for the clean energy future we’re all committed to. I know Phil will be a strong leader and wise partner for our board and executive team.”
Ian A. Bowles, former Massachusetts Secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs, said of Mr. Giudice’s election as chair: “Phil has a truly unique skill set to provide Board leadership for FirstLight, having been not only a highly successful entrepreneur and longtime industry thought leader, but also as someone who envisioned and put in place landmark energy market rules as a top state regulator.“
During his more than 40 years of experience in the energy field, Mr. Giudice has also served as founding board member, Treasurer and Vice Chair for the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), board chair of the National Association of Energy Officials as well as on US Department of Energy’s State Energy Advisory Board, Energy Efficiency and Renewables Advisory Committee and State Energy Efficiency Action Network.
A geologist by training, Mr. Giudice earned his Masters in Business Administration from the Tuck School at Dartmouth College, Masters in Economic Geology from the University of Arizona, and Bachelors in Geology from the University of New Hampshire.