Utilities: Powering MIT’s Present and Future
The Utilities team maintains MIT’s electricity, heating, and cooling resources. We maintain and operate the cogeneration-based Central Utilities Plant (CUP), which produces much of the electricity, steam, chilled water, and compressed air used on campus. Our staff engineers and operating personnel also collaborate with Repair and Maintenance to maintain the on-campus underground utility distribution systems and electrical substations. We work closely with Facilities Engineering and the Efficiency Forward program to identify and implement energy conservation efforts in new and existing systems, and we plan for MIT’s future energy needs.
Services and responsibilities:
- Operate and maintain MIT’s district energy system, including the Central Utilities Plant, the East Campus Chiller Plant, and the distribution systems for on-campus electrical, heating, and cooling needs
- Identify and undertake utility-related energy conservation projects, working to build efficient new systems and implement energy-saving improvements
- Plan for utility systems expansion and upgrading with a long-range view toward future energy use
- Engineer, design, estimate, and manage construction and start-up services for expansion and maintenance of utilities
- Perform all licensing and reporting functions for compliance with government, environmental and utility regulatory requirements
- Provide all administrative services for the purchasing, metering, and distribution of costs for electricity, city water, natural gas, chilled water, steam, and fuel oil
Central Utilities Plant (CUP)
The CUP Team manages the operation and maintenance of the Central Utility Plant, a cogeneration facility that anchors the district energy system supporting MIT’s campus. The team’s work includes improving plant efficiency, reliability, and performance with a focus on safety and the environment. By providing the necessary power, cooling, and heating to campus buildings, the CUP is the cornerstone of campus resiliency and sustainability, ensuring that utilities continue without interruption to protect campus research and occupant comfort. The CUP Upgrade Project, initiated in 2019 and completed in 2021, increased the facility's power capacity while lowering emissions. New technologies and equipment were added, including two new natural gas turbines paired with heat recovery steam generators to replace the plant’s original turbine. Today, this highly efficient plant is central to MIT’s commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions at least 32% by 2030.
Utility Projects
The Utility Projects team oversees and manages the Institute’s utility infrastructure, from the design and construction of new systems to the repair and renewal of existing operations. Our projects support MIT’s goal of constantly improving the resiliency of the campus and the reliability of its systems. We work collaboratively with other Facilities groups as well as with external suppliers, engineers, and architects, focusing on projects that range from utility repairs and system upgrades to new installations and comprehensive overhauls like the CUP plant upgrade.
