New funding and technical support from state and philanthropic sources will move Salem’s proposed downtown geothermal network into predevelopment planning work, tackling the financial and engineering tasks needed to bring clean, sustainable energy to downtown residents, businesses and institutions.
Date: Tuesday, November 17, 2026
Time: 3:00 PM
Location: St. Peter’s – San Pedro Church, 24 St. Peter’s Street, Salem
Join us for an announcement kicking off the next phase of the Heaven and Earth Energy Project.
The Heaven and Earth Energy Project is a proposed geothermal energy network and environmental resilience hub centered on downtown Salem. The project aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, lower energy costs, improve reliability, and strengthen community resilience through integrated clean energy solutions.
New predevelopment funding from the Massachusetts Community Climate Bank at MassHousing and the Essex County Community Foundation, along with significant in-kind support from the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources, the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center, and MassDevelopment will advance the proposed geothermal project by completing decarbonization and building retrofit analysis for buildings that could be heated and cooled by the geothermal project, as well as advancing necessary technical, financial and governance work on the proposed loop itself. The predevelopment work follows a 2025 feasibility analysis that was supported by MassCEC.
Expected to deliver remarks are Salem Mayor Dominick Pangallo, Rev. Nathan Ives of St. Peter’s – San Pedro Church, Maggie Super Church, Director of Policies and Programs at the Massachusetts Community Climate Bank, Stratton Lloyd, Executive Director of the Essex County Community Foundation, Deputy Commissioner Joanna Troy from the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources, Jim Stanislaski, Managing Director, Accelerating Decarbonization from MassCEC, and local and state environmental stakeholders.
For more information, please visit the City of Salem’s Heaven and Earth Energy Project webpage.
This advisory is for planning purposes only. Project milestone information is embargoed until the November 17 announcement event.
Parking: Public surface parking at the Church Street East lot immediately adjacent to the church, additional parking available at the mall garage next door to the surface lot.
