News release from Mayor Bill Finch:
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy and Bridgeport Mayor Bill Finch today joined officials from Dominion (NYSE: D), one of the nation’s largest energy companies, and FuelCell Energy Inc. (Nasdaq: FCEL) to break ground at the largest fuel cell power project in North America.
Dominion Bridgeport Fuel Cell, which is being built downtown alongside Interstate 95 and the Northeast rail corridor, will produce 14.9 megawatts of clean energy–enough to power approximately 15,000 homes–using an electro-chemical process that efficiently converts natural gas into electricity.
“This power station will generate clean, reliable, base load electricity for Connecticut,” said David A. Christian, Dominion Generation chief executive officer. “Our clean energy portfolio today includes wind, hydro, biomass, and, soon, solar and this facility when it begins operating later this year. Along with electricity, this project supports Connecticut’s clean energy goals while producing significant economic development benefits for the State and the City of Bridgeport.”
Dominion Bridgeport Fuel Cell is part of Project 150, a program sponsored by the state and supported by the Clean Energy Finance and Investment Authority (CEFIA) to increase renewable and clean energy projects in Connecticut by 150 megawatts. CEFIA is the nation’s first full-scale clean energy finance authority that leverages public and private funds to drive investment and scale up clean energy deployment in Connecticut. This project was supported by the City of Bridgeport, which provides a tax incentive development agreement that will be in place for the life of the project.
“Cleaner, cheaper, more reliable energy is a critical part of strengthening our economy,” said Malloy. “For years Connecticut residents and businesses have paid energy costs that top anywhere else in the nation—to the detriment of family budgets and commerce. With our new energy strategy and a focus on increasing renewable power options and efficiency measures, we will bring down costs for ratepayers, reduce carbon emissions, and create thousands of clean energy jobs.”
“We are proud to be the home for one of the largest fuel cell facilities in North America,” said Finch. “This is a great example of public-private partnerships working together to create jobs, expand economic development and make our environment cleaner by producing virtually pollution-free electricity with a low carbon footprint. This fuel cell park is another successful addition to the city’s expanding Eco-Industrial Park. Many thanks go to Dominion and FuelCell Energy for their diligence in moving this project forward, and to Gov. Malloy for promoting clean energy projects in the state of Connecticut.”
FuelCell Energy Inc. will build, operate, and maintain the facility under contract to Dominion. FCE is supplying five Direct FuelCell® stationary fuel cell power plants and an organic rankine turbine that will convert heat from the fuel cells into additional electricity.
FuelCell Energy has expanded its Connecticut manufacturing workforce by more than 20 percent or more than 50 jobs in the past six months, reflecting demand such as this Bridgeport fuel cell park. The project is scheduled to be completed and placed into operation in late 2013. Dominion will sell the output of the fuel cell power station to Connecticut Light & Power under a 15-year fixed power purchase agreement.
Dominion owns several renewable energy facilities in the United States, including wind farms in West Virginia and Indiana, a biomass power station in Virginia with three more under construction and hydroelectric power stations in Virginia and North Carolina. The company has also announced a 7.7-megawatt solar project in Georgia and the first company-owned rooftop solar installation in Virginia.
Dominion is one of the nation’s largest producers and transporters of energy, with a portfolio of approximately 27,500 megawatts of generation, 11,000 miles of natural gas transmission, gathering and storage pipeline and 6,300 miles of electric transmission lines. Dominion operates one of the nation’s largest natural gas storage systems with 947 billion cubic feet of storage capacity and serves retail energy customers in 15 states. For more information about Dominion, visit the company’s website at www.dom.com.
*** Isn’t it amazing how the usual do-nothing picture-posing “local dopes” (not directly involved) always find time to make it to the city’s political site to tap dance their way into the picture! And let’s not forget the political “kool-aid” toast afterwards, no? ***
I think Finch found his new power plant for Steel Pointe. GO Fuelcell Energy!
It’s nice we have this fuel cell plant being build in Bridgeport, but the contractor A-Z Corp is an open shop company from Storming, CT. They most likely will bring in their own people from out of state, which means no one from Bridgeport will be working on the plant. With a city with high unemployment it’s a shame no one from Bridgeport will be working there. No Electricians, Plumbers, Pipe-Fitters or Welders from Bridgeport. It’s a shame our tax dollars will not be used to create local jobs the City of Bridgeport badly needs.
Where was Finch and that shovel during the blizzard? Had this picture been a few months ago those out-of-town, non-union workers would never have been able to get into Bpt to grab those jobs from Bpt union workers, but I guess I’m just shoveling sh** against the tide of Bpt politics as usual. I’m off to drink a wine at Testo’s. Cheers.
Just got off work and I am going to wander down to Steele Point to get some breakfast and do some shopping before I get some sleep. Not much of a crowd here on such a beautiful morning. A few seagulls and something Bridgeport knows all too well, RATS.
Local jobs? Property tax addition? Any givebacks or concessions? This is the information the public wants. The photo-op is for their moms. When will they get it? Time will tell.
Listening to WSHU this AM while in my car and heard the news on this project. No word on number of jobs but the message was with State support in the form of grants and debt the place will be built. Went on to say the City has entered into a tax deal with the plant for the life of the project. No further details.
This is one of those stories where you keep asking for more answers and they are not out there. Can’t be something the administration and the Council are proud of, or they would be bragging. Right, Mojo? Time will tell.
Gosh, so a private company is using open shop (whatever that means) employees, which it appears is non-union workers. While I too would rather see Bridgeport residents have theses jobs, maybe the private sector knows something about making a profit and how construction costs and contracts are best negotiated. I am sure the unions had equal chance to bid on the construction and were perhaps not as competitive? Go ahead–jump all over this point of view.
Unions stink.
To put in simple terms BRB, all the money spend on this project will be taken out of the city. The profits A-Z Corp will make will be spent back in Stonington, the profits Dominion will make will be spent out of state and given to their shareholders, the wages the workers will make are spent out of town. The plant pays no property taxes, and your tax money will be used to build it. So tell me how using an out-of-town open shop benefited the people of Bridgeport whose taxes are used to construct it.