Editing Eversource Energy (section)

== History ==
{{multiple image|align=right|perrow = 2|total_width=275
| image1 = Connecticut Light & Power Co.svg
| image2 = Hartford Electric & Light Co.svg
| image3 = Western Massachusetts Electric Company.svg
| image4 = Holyoke Water Power Company.svg
| image5 = Public Service Company of New Hampshire.svg
| image6 = Northeast Utilities.svg
| footer = Logos of Eversource's predecessors, clockwise from top-left, the Connecticut Light & Power Co., Hartford Electric & Light Co., Western Mass. Electric Co., Holyoke Water Power Co., and Public Service Co. of NH, which initially became part of the Northeast Utilities merger 
}}
The Rocky River Power Company, formed in 1905 by [[J. Henry Roraback]], became the Connecticut Light and Power Company in 1917.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Laying down the Grid: Connecticut Light and Power · Plumbing the Depths: Candlewood Lake · Western CT State University Archives' Digital Collections |url=https://archives.library.wcsu.edu/omeka/exhibits/show/candlewood/layingdownthegrid |access-date=2023-02-23 |website=archives.library.wcsu.edu |archive-date=2023-02-23 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230223183706/https://archives.library.wcsu.edu/omeka/exhibits/show/candlewood/layingdownthegrid |url-status=live }}</ref> Eversource predecessor Northeast Utilities (NU) was formed on July 1, 1966, under CEO [[Lelan Sillin]], with the merger of the Connecticut Light and Power Company (CL&P, formed in 1917), Western Massachusetts Electric Company (WMECO, formed in 1886), and the [[Hartford Electric Light Company]] (HELCO, formed in 1878) under a single parent company, creating the first new multi-state public utility holding company since the enactment of the [[Public Utility Holding Company Act of 1935]]. In 1967, Holyoke Water Power Company (HWP) (formed in 1859) joined the NU System.  Public Service Company of New Hampshire ([[PSNH]], formed in 1926), a private company at the time, declared bankruptcy in January 1988 due to problems obtaining a license for the completed [[Seabrook Nuclear Power Plant]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1988/01/29/business/bankruptcy-filed-by-leading-utility-in-seabrook-plant.html |author=Lee A. Daniels |date=29 Jan 1988 |title=BANKRUPTCY FILED BY LEADING UTILITY IN SEABROOK PLANT |work=The New York Times |access-date=19 December 2017 |archive-date=10 September 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170910041528/http://www.nytimes.com/1988/01/29/business/bankruptcy-filed-by-leading-utility-in-seabrook-plant.html |url-status=live }}</ref> and in 1992 was merged into Northeast Utilities.

In 1999, Con Edison and Northeast Utilities entered negotiations that would have created one of the largest utilities in the United States. However, Con Edison backed out of the merger in 2001 after Connecticut's [[Attorney General]] [[Richard Blumenthal]] threatened lawsuits to block it.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2001/03/06/nyregion/northeast-says-merger-with-con-edison-has-collapsed.html|title=Northeast Says Merger With Con Edison Has Collapsed|date=6 March 2001|work=The New York Times|access-date=19 February 2017|archive-date=1 July 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160701205132/http://www.nytimes.com/2001/03/06/nyregion/northeast-says-merger-with-con-edison-has-collapsed.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

Legislation passed in the late 1990s deregulated the [[electricity market]] in New England and required regulated utilities to divest generating stations to competitive suppliers. In 1999 the company divested all of the generating assets of WMECO and CL&P per requirements of the Massachusetts and Connecticut legislation. The company retained some of these assets by transferring them to a new subsidiary called Northeast Generation which functioned as a competitive supplier and sold the other assets entirely: WMECO's [[West Springfield Generating Station]] and several related hydroelectric and fossil fuel generating units were sold to Con Edison, while other assets (most notably the [[Northfield Mountain hydroelectric facility]]) were transferred to Northeast Generation.

In 2001, NU sold the assets and operations of its subsidiary, the Holyoke Water Power Company, to the [[Holyoke, Massachusetts|City of Holyoke]] including the HWP electrical distribution system and customer base and all generation with the exception of the [[Mount Tom Station|Mt. Tom coal-fired power plant]] which NU retained. The city's municipal gas and electric department assumed responsibility for the generators and absorbed the HWP distribution customer base.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hged.com/html/our_history.html|title=History|work=hged.com|access-date=19 March 2015|archive-date=29 October 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029213937/http://www.hged.com/html/our_history.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Between 2000 and 2002 due to state laws, NU divested WMECO, CL&P, and PSNH's nuclear generating assets which consisted of their stakes in the [[Seabrook Station Nuclear Power Plant|Seabrook]], [[Millstone Nuclear Power Plant|Millstone]], and [[Vermont Yankee]] stations.
[[File:Connecticut Lighting and Power Company ad in Official souvenir and program of the dedication of the Soldiers' monument, New Britain, Conn., September 19, 1900 (IA officialsouvenir00ring) (page 62 crop).jpg|thumb|262x262px|1900 ad]]
In November 2005, the company announced it would sell its unregulated competitive businesses, including generation and energy services.  In November 2006 the company had essentially completed the divestiture of its competitive businesses.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/northeast-utilities-completes-sale-of-competitive-generation-business-to-energy-capital-partners-55838902.html|title=Northeast Utilities Completes Sale of Competitive Generation Business to Energy Capital Partners|author=Northeast Utilities|date=1 November 2006|work=prnewswire.com|access-date=19 March 2015|archive-date=2 April 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402093258/http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/northeast-utilities-completes-sale-of-competitive-generation-business-to-energy-capital-partners-55838902.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 2006, NU decided to sell the generating units it had earlier retained in the 1999 divestiture as competitive suppliers and shut down its competitive generation business units. The Northeast Generation assets, including [[Mount Tom Station]] and Northfield Mountain, were all sold to [[Energy Capital Partners]]. PSNH continued to operate regulated hydroelectric and fossil fuel generation assets to serve its default/basic service customers who did not choose an alternative competitive supplier.

In October 2010, Northeast Utilities announced that it would merge with [[NSTAR (company)|NSTAR]], the major electric and gas provider in [[Greater Boston]], with the resulting company retaining the Northeast Utilities name for the next several years.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.boston.com/business/ticker/2010/10/northeast_utili_2.html|title=NStar and Northeast Utilities agree to merger|last=Ailworth|first=Erin|date=2010-10-18|work=The Boston Globe|access-date=2010-10-18|archive-date=2010-10-20|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101020234228/http://www.boston.com/business/ticker/2010/10/northeast_utili_2.html|url-status=live}}</ref>  After government approvals, the deal closed in April 2012.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://finance.yahoo.com/news/nu-closes-nstar-merger-deal-223023927.html|title=NU Closes NSTAR Merger Deal|date=2012-04-11|access-date=2013-05-16|archive-date=2015-02-22|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150222032244/http://finance.yahoo.com/news/nu-closes-nstar-merger-deal-223023927.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 2015 the company (now known as Eversource) agreed to sell all of its New Hampshire generation assets in the same manner it sold its assets in Massachusetts and Connecticut between 2000 and 2006. The sale of the New Hampshire generation fleet was approved by the state's Public Utilities Commission on November 29, 2017,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.puc.state.nh.us/Home/Press%20Releases/112917%20eversource%20generation%20assets%20sale.pdf|title=NH Public Utilities Commission Issues Order Approving sale of Eversource Generation Facilities|last=Noonan|first=Amanda|date=November 29, 2017|website=State of NH Public Utilities Commission|access-date=February 16, 2018|archive-date=February 17, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180217082534/http://www.puc.state.nh.us/Home/Press%20Releases/112917%20eversource%20generation%20assets%20sale.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> and completed on January 10, 2018.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.unionleader.com/energy/Eversource-finalizes-sale-of-energy-plants-01102018|title=Eversource finalizes sale of energy plants|last=Feely|first=Paul|date=10 January 2018|work=The Union Leader (www.unionleader.com)|access-date=16 February 2018|archive-date=17 February 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180217024012/http://www.unionleader.com/energy/Eversource-finalizes-sale-of-energy-plants-01102018|url-status=live}}</ref>

In June 2017 Eversource announced its merger with [[Aquarion Water Company]] for $1.675 billion.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2017/06/02/eversource-enters-water-business-with-aquarion-acquisition/e2dLtfSYKOfe4et7jcvcFI/story.html|title=Eversource enters water business with Aquarion acquisition - The Boston Globe|website=BostonGlobe.com|access-date=May 14, 2020|archive-date=December 28, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191228164919/https://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2017/06/02/eversource-enters-water-business-with-aquarion-acquisition/e2dLtfSYKOfe4et7jcvcFI/story.html|url-status=live}}</ref>  Aquarion would become a fully owned subsidiary and retain its own name, adding 300 employees and 230,000 customers in Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire. In December 2017, the merger was completed after government approval.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://globalenergymedia.com/eversource-completes-acquisition-of-aquarion-water-company-2/ |title=Eversource Completes Acquisition of Aquarion Water Company &#124; Global Energy Media |website=globalenergymedia.com |access-date=17 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171205194722/https://globalenergymedia.com/eversource-completes-acquisition-of-aquarion-water-company-2/ |archive-date=5 December 2017 |url-status=usurped}}</ref>

In 2016, Eversource started joint ventures for wind farm developments with [[Ørsted (company)|Ørsted]]. In 2023, Eversource announced it would sell off its equity in these projects ([[Bay State Wind]], [[South Fork Wind]], [[Revolution Wind]], and [[Sunrise Wind]]) at an expected loss of $200 million.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/2023/05/26/business/eversource-exits-offshore-development-with-big-loss/ |title=Eversource exits offshore development, with a big loss |author=Jon Chesto |date=May 26, 2023 |newspaper=[[The Boston Globe]] |access-date=June 9, 2023 |archive-date=June 9, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230609051504/https://www.bostonglobe.com/2023/05/26/business/eversource-exits-offshore-development-with-big-loss/ |url-status=live }}</ref>