Boston Edison entertaining bids for power.

Approximately 50 bidders submitted proposals last week to Boston Edison to supply the utility with additional power. This is the first time since 1989 that the utility has made such a request.

The request for 132 megawatts of new power supply comes at a time when the region's demand for electricity is on the decline and at a time when Edison itself is seeking approval to build its own 306-megawatt, gas-fired plant in Weymouth.

Though Edison's Edgar Station plant is not directly competing with these proposed projects, the state Department of Public Utilities plans to compare the new proposals to Edison's plans to try to determine the most cost-efficient way to supply the area with power.

"The recession has reduced the need for …