AGAWAM – Tenaska and Berkshire Power Company, LLC will soon be helping Agawam students pay for college through its new annual college scholarship program.

The program will award $4,500 in scholarships, starting with the class of 2019, to college-bound Agawam High School students. Three scholarships amounting to $1,500 each will be awarded every spring.

The money can be applied toward two- or four-year post-secondary education programs at accredited institutions. The schools may be located anywhere in the country.

“At all of our plant locations, we believe we have a dual commitment to the community and want be a good community partners, and one of the ways we can do that is to offer this scholarship program,” said Jason Behrens, vice president of Tenaska’s Strategic Development & Acquisitions Group. “It’s something we have in place at all of our other facilities, and it gets an opportunity for us to get more well-known within a community. We want to be recognized as a good community partner and we obviously value the education aspect that the local high schools can provide. We want to make sure we can help out with that in any way.”

Tenaska, one of the leading independent power producers in the country, is the owner of Berkshire Power Company, LLC and its 229-megawatt (MW) natural gas-fueled power plant in Agawam.

The company manages scholarship programs in communities where its power plants are located.

To date, more than $700,000 in scholarships has been given out to roughly 850 students across the United States, according to Behrens.

A committee at Tenaska’s headquarters in Omaha, Nebraska, will select the scholarship recipients and preference will be given to students who demonstrate they are prepared for higher education, rank in the top half of their class, have good character and show financial need.

“We value education and we realize how important that is for the kids. We’re hoping we can make a difference,” Behrens commented. “Plus, these kids are potentially going to be good business leaders, and we’re just going to want to try and give them every opportunity to give their future success.”

Scholarship applications are now available at Agawam High School.

The completed applications must be received no later than Feb. 15, 2019.

For more information about the scholarship program, contact the Agawam High School at 821-0521.

To learn more about Tenaska’s community involvement, head over to http://www.tenaska.com/our-commitment/community-involvement/.