PSNH
| Company type | Public utility |
|---|---|
| Industry | Energy |
| Predecessor | Multiple electric firms (five companies merged in 1926) |
| Founded | 1926 |
| Defunct | 1992 |
| Fate | Acquired by Northeast Utilities (now Eversource Energy) |
| Successor | Eversource Energy |
| Headquarters | New Hampshire , United States |
Area served | New Hampshire |
| Products | Electricity, natural gas, electric streetcar and bus transit services |
| Website | www |
Public Service of New Hampshire, abbreviated as PSNH, stood as the foremost public utility in New Hampshire for many years. Established in 1926, it supplied both natural gas and electricity, while also managing electric streetcar lines and, subsequently, bus transit services. In 1992, PSNH was acquired and integrated into what is currently known as Eversource Energy.
History
The generation of electricity in New Hampshire commenced in 1882 with the establishment of the New England Weston Electric Light Company located in Manchester. By 1901, multiple entities such as the Manchester Electric Light Company and Manchester Traction, Light and Power Company had consolidated. PSNH was officially formed in 1926 through the merger of five distinct electric firms and eventually absorbed at least 39 smaller companies.
Following the enactment of the 1935 Public Utility Holding Company Act, PSNH became a regulated utility and transitioned to a publicly traded company in 1946.
Among its significant facilities was the Schiller Generation Station—comprising three coal-powered units in Portsmouth, New Hampshire that commenced operations in 1950 as the country’s first fully integrated binary cycle power plant—and the Seabrook Station nuclear facility, which started service in 1990. Financial difficulties and construction delays at Seabrook resulted in PSNH declaring bankruptcy in 1998, marking it as the first investor-owned utility to do so since the Great Depression. This event led to its purchase by Northeast Utilities, now operating under the name Eversource Energy.
In 2018, Eversource divested all former PSNH generating assets—including hydroelectric dams and gas-fired power plants—to Granite Shore Power LLC, finalizing the deregulation of electricity within New Hampshire.