The Kendall power plant was built in 1949, operating in "relative obscurity" for some time as it was only turned on when high energy levels were demanded. As such, waste heat from the Kendall Cogeneration Station in Cambridge would heat buildings in Boston. The pipeline extension was completed in 2013. In January 2012, the station had a production capacity of 256 megawatts, and in 2010 produced roughly 717,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide. While it used natural gas primarily, it also had oil as a backup to produce both electricity and steam energy. In 2012, the plant was owned by
GenOn Energy. In 2013
Veolia Energy North America purchased the plant from
NRG Energy. In 2020,
Antin Infrastructure Partners acquired Veolia Energy North America and renamed it
Vicinity Energy. In 2024, Vicinity Energy installed a 42-megawatt electric-powered boiler. Demolition necessary for installation of a 35-megawatt industrial
heat pump began in 2025. The heat pump will use water from the
Charles River for
district heating of about 70 million square feet of buildings in Boston and Cambridge. == Notes ==